Out Of Memory and Time
by FanGirl54
Summary: A collection of random prompts. -x-X-x- Mostly one-shots, but I might put in one or two 2-parters. -x-X-x- Summaries are in the chapter heads. -x-X-x- Any and all ratings/warnings will be included in the summaries.
1. Coffee Shop Fake Out

Genre: Romance / Friendship

Rated: T

Word Count: 1,081

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Octavia Blake / OC

Relationships: Bellamy/Clarke, Clarke/OC (broken up)

Summary: Octavia sets Bellamy up on a blind date but when he shows up at the cafe the chick stands him up and as he sits there finishing his drink Clarke who's a complete stranger sits down next to him and says " my ex just walked in can you please pretend we're on a date' and he agrees and now they have to pretend and look like they're dating

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot / Also Luke (the OC)

A/N: *Author chooses to not write note.*

* * *

"C'mon Bell, you have to get back out there. Gina dumped you...for a girl...but you can move past that. I think. Yes, you can. I'm setting you up on a blind date. You have no say in the matter, but you're going and you are going to treat it as a real date not just some rebound."

"Fine Octavia. But I probably won't be happy about it."

"Shut up, I'll set you up with my friend Raven from work. She's nice, and she will help you get you mind off your lesbian ex."

Bellamy just huffed and went up to his room to get changed. Just something simple for a first "date". Should he even consider this a date? Yes. He needed to get over back stabbing Gina. Jeans, Nikes, and a loose white tee. Simple enough. He went back down.

"Alright you're going to get coffee at this address, and lucky for you, she was recently dumped. Maybe more than just this coffee date, mm?" Octavia winked. Bellamy shuddered.

"Ew. Stop." He grabbed his keys and left. While the Blake's lived in a nicer apartment, that meant they couldn't afford a car, or to rephrase they couldn't afford a car that didn't need constant repairs and have a ton of debt to insurance companies. So he began walking to the closet bus stop, which happened to be 5 miles away.

Walking was nice. He got to exercise, look at people and notice things you wouldn't notice if you were speeding by in a car. People were so interesting. Seeing how differently they react to the same situations. He reaches the bus station about an hour and a half later. He ran a little bit to get up that cardio. The bus ride to the city was pretty quick. Downtown was one of those places that wasn't necessarily scary so much as a bit sketchy. You would trust leaving a car unlocked for more than a minute or two, and you certainly wouldn't want to be here at night. He walked around the city for another half hour before checking his watch and noticing he had about five minutes to be at the coffee shop. He checked the address and looked at the street signs, oddly enough the cafe was across the street from him.

Walking in, there weren't many people. Just a few 20-year old's probably writing screenplays. He went to the counter and ordered a caramel macchiato with a double shot of caffeine and sat down at a table in the corner but closer to the front.

He sat there for over an hour. Playing on his phone, watching Netflix through earbuds, ordering lunch. Officially he had been stood up. Deciding he'd finish his episode of **Futurama** then get back to the bus station. Ten more minutes then he was going to head out.

Clarke was walking around trying to get to the bus stop when she heard her name being called out.

"Clarke? Oh, my god, it is you. Hey, Clarkey!" She looked back to find her ex Luke calling out. Luke was insane and Clarke dumped him over 6 months ago, but he just kept showing up where ever she was. It felt like he was stalking her almost. Which, honestly, wouldn't be that big of a surprise. She looked up and saw a cafe, she dashed in hoping to avoid him in there. She sat in between two guys. Both attractive men. Clarke peeked out the window and saw Luke peering in.

"Hi, you don't know me, I'm Clarke Griffin, but my crazy stalker ex is outside can you please pretend to be my boyfriend so he doesn't like kidnap me or something?" She asked the man to her left.

"What the hell? No." he got up and walked out of the shop.

"I'll help you out. On one condition we can talk about in a little bit." Clarke looked over to her right and saw the other guy. He was extremely handsome now that she looked closer. Luke opened the door to the cafe.

"Deal." she said scooting closer to him.

" _By the way my name is Bellamy._ " He whispered before Luke came over.

"Clarkey, who's this?" Luke asked looking jealous. Like they were still dating.

"Oh, hi Luke. This is my boyfriend. Bellamy."

"Hi very nice to meet you, Luke, was it?" Bellamy stuck his hand out to shake Luke's. He did not put his hand out in return.

"Um, Clarke why are you with him right now? He is not your boyfriend."

"Oh? And you would know, right? Well, you're wrong, _unfortunately_. We've been dating for almost four moths now."

"I've never met him, not when _we_ were dating. And _you_ are most certainly not her type. I bet you know nothing about her."

"Your right. I barely know her." Clarke looks at him, and he looks back at her, not breaking eye contact. "But I do know that when I look into her crystal blue eyes I can see our own little galaxy where it's just the two of us. We can just sit around in comfortable silence forever. I love when she falls asleep in my arms while we're watching TV, and I love waking up to her beautiful face. Because she is truly the most beautiful women I've ever met. I love you Clarke Griffin, and I need you to know that." Clarke kisses him softly on his lips.

"I love you too." she said back, teary eyed.

"Mmmm." Luke hums angrily before leaving the cafe.

"Wow." Clarke says wiping her eyes, "That was...something else..."

"Thank's I try." Bellamy chuckles.

"I can't thank you enough. really. Oh! What was your condition?"

"Ah yes. _You_ have to go on **one** date with me."

"Ok. I'll do that. I'd like that actually. Here." She handed him a piece of paper with her number written on it. Said, "Call me." and started leaving.

"Oh, Clarke!" She turned around to look at him again. "I meant what I said at the end. You are the most beautiful woman I've met in my life."

"Damn, keep saying things like that and you might score yourself a second date." She said with a wink and walked out.


	2. Comic Con

Genre: Romance / Friendship

Rated: T

Word Count: 1,259

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Octavia Blake / Raven Reyes

Relationships: Bellamy/Clarke, Octavia/Clarke (mentioned)

Summary: Clarke is best friends with Octavia so naturally, Bellamy and Clarke know each other and, plot twist, they have always liked each other. They run into each other at comic-con dressed up in DC comic cosplay. Will knowing about their nerd sides change anything? I have no idea.

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, they either belong to DC, MARVEL, or something else / I own nothing but the plot of the story.

A/N: Ok well I am absolutely awful at summaries, so...and I'm sorry, but I'm a bit obsessed with the DC comics universe...I always have been, but since suicide squad came out it's like up from a 50 to a 5 million. I ain't no fake fan. *More notes at the bottom of the chapter*

* * *

Clarke was sitting in the den on the Blake household watching TV, waiting for Bellamy to get home to question her on Octavia's whereabouts when the commercial came on.

" _COMIC-CON! San Diego COMIC-CON! Booths, special guests, first look's, and so much more! All at the convention center in June! Tickets go on sale at 12 PM/Noon September 10th! Get them Now!_ " Clarke paused the TV on the site information.

Clarke was obsessed with Comics, she had been since she was a little girl. Her dad given her his **Batman: Detective** collection to start off. After that, she was in love. She loved the art and the story lines, and just everything about them. Her favorite thing in the world, though? That was her collector's edition, mint condition _The Batman Adventures_ #12 (September 1993). It was the very first appearance of her favorite character in all of the DC, Marvel, and any other comic book universe. Harley Quinn. She was a "Head Doctor who went crazy because that's what love can do to you", as she described when asked why she loved the girl.

She checked her phone, seeing the time was 11:50. Only 10 minutes to ask someone to go with her, open the page to buy tickets, put in her card number, and actually purchase the tickets. She messaged Raven, her friend from the Comic Book store.

'Hey, do you want to go to the San Diego Comic-Con with me?" She almost instantly replied

' _Hell Yeah!_ '

A little over five minutes. She pulled out her tablet and started rushing to the site. Only a minute left, when of course the door bursts open.

"Where's my sister?!" Bellamy growled. Clarke, being focused, threw a pillow at his face.

"In the shower, I think, now, shhh." Less than 30 seconds.

"Last time I checked this was still my house now-" She threw another pillow at him, cutting him off.

10

9

"You're not mad at me, you're mad at your sister, don't direct that bullshit towards me."

6

"I'm a little mad at you. You did throw MY pillows at me."

4

3

"Yeah, yeah, sorry and all that."

1

 **Tickets are now on Sale!**

Clarke repeatedly tapped on the three-day pass, trying to get 2 before they sold out.

 **Do you wish to make this your final purchase?**

"Yes God Dammit!" She said tapping the screen again and again.

 **Purchase complete.**

"YES! YES! YES! YES!" She jumped up and doing a stupid dance.

Bellamy raised an eyebrow at her, concerned she had finally lost it. But just shook his head and proceeded upstairs to find his sister. He found out she was dating his coworker at the garage. And he was not having it. Lincoln was 7 years her age, which was only 19! When he called Bellamy to get him to cover his shift, he assumed the guy was sick or something, but no. The guys said he was taking O somewhere for the weekend. Not while she lived under his roof!

He pounded on her bedroom door, "O! Open up! I know you're in there! Your car is still in the driveway"

"UGHHHHHH! Can't you just leave me alone for once?"

"No. And you're not going anywhere this weekend." He said striding into her room and proceeding to dump out the contents of her suitcase.

"What the fuck Bell? I need to pack, I'm already behind her schedule." She said picking up the stuff off the floor and placing it back her case.

"Uh uh. I don't-wait, her?"

"Yeah, Clarke. Dumb-ass, I've told you a thousand times since Sunday. We're going to Disney Land because she's never been."

"oh...but...But the guys at work told me this guy Lincoln was taking you somewhere."

"Yup. He's driving us because he's going to see his family in Anaheim and he's being generous enough to give us a ride to conserve gas pollution. Because he cares about this planet."

" _O, C'mon! He's here!_ " Clarke yelled from downstairs.

" _Shit_ ", She whispered, "Ok! I'll be right down." She yelled back

"God damn you, now I'm not going to be fully packed." Octavia glared in her brother's direction. She threw her toiletry bag in and decided to call it good.

"Uh, sorry...I didn't mean to fuck things up for you..."

"Yeah, you never do. It's okay. Just...don't be an idiot anymore. I have to go." She said kissing his cheek.

* * *

 **About 10 Months later**

* * *

Bellamy was walking the floor in his Batman t-shirt, he was such a nerd. History was his sweet spot, but comics came a close second. While he always loved the super hero's ( **The Flash** , **Spider-man** , **Batman** , **Superman** , **Ironman** , etc) he seemed to fancy himself some villains just the same. While he was walking around he noticed a lot of cosplayers that were... _hot_. Like, when you think of people dressing up in costume as their favorite characters, you probably don't think that sounds like the sexiest thing in the world. But there were a lot of people who were dressed up, pretty sexily. Like women dressed as **Black Widow** , **Wonder Woman** , **Princess Leia** , **Psylocke** , **S** **carlet Witch** , etc. But the most common one he saw was Harley Quinn. Seeing as the new movie was to come out soon, people were excited to see her character come back to a big screen. Most were dressed in the new ensemble, but some were in the original skin tight jester suit. So when he saw the Arkham Asylum outfit on a girl, who was killing it, he had to talk to her.

From behind her, he could see that she had black (left) and a red (right) boots, thigh high socks on (red and black) held up by clips, her skirt was white with black ruffles, she had the black harness on, the white puff sleeves, and the forearm sleeves (laced up), her hair was in pigtails (dip dyed red and black tips), this girl even had the candy cane swirled bat, and (from what he could see) she had white paint on the back of her neck.

He decided to talk to her. When he walked forward he saw _his_ little _sister_ wearing almost nothing. She was in a "prison jumpsuit", except the pants had been cut into booty shorts and the shirt was now a tied up crop top. She had green wires with fake leaves on it wrapped up and down both arms and legs and around her torso, she even had fake leaves placed in her hair.

When she looked up from her conversation she spotted him, her eyes went wide. She said something to the Harley cosplayer, kissed her on the cheek and actually ran away. He stormed over to the girl, demanding an explanation as to why he had to see that. He tapped her shoulder gently, but she did not respond, so he grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.

"Alright who the hell are you and why are you with my little sis- wait...Clarke?"

Her eyes went wide and she stood still not saying anything.

* * *

 **Ok, so I'll make another chapter for this one I guess because I can't seem to finish it, and right now I'm on hiatus with my prompt distributor. Will try hard to update**


	3. You Care About Him

Genre: Romance / Friendship

Rated: T

Word Count: 3,000

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Nathan Miller / Raven Reyes / Roan / Monty Green (Mentioned) / Harper McIntyre (Mentioned)

Relationships: Bellamy/Clarke

Summary: Set after season 3 finale, Roan confronts Clarke about her feelings towards Bellamy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot / strong language /

A/N: Honestly, why do I only write in the middle of the night? What is wrong with me? Anyway, babes, I thrive on reviews. _PLEASE_ review!

* * *

Bellamy is going to talk to Clarke. She walked away before they could continue their conversation about they hadn't saved their people yet.

He was walking down the hall of the Ark, making his way to her tent. When he is by the conference room he hears her in there. And someone talking to her.

"You care about him?" it sounded more like a statement than a question. He could tell instantly the voice belonged to Roan.

"I care about all of them-"

"But you care about him more." She is interrupted. Pausing to let the statement sink in. Bellamy held his breath waiting to hear the answer.

"No." His heart sunk at the way her words sounded...heartless. But she continued. And he was stupid enough to listen, "He is the least of my worries. I care that he doesn't die so he can get his job done. End of story."

It felt like a dagger had been ripped through his chest. He stomped away, deciding the best way to deal with this was to drink.

She found him at a table hours later doing just that.

Though it was only his third drink, he had been going over her words in his head. Over and over again.

" _You care about him?_ "

" _No_."

Monty's moonshine was terrific for numbing the pain. In physical wounds. Because he could still feel the stab he'd received hours ago when he listened to a conversation he supposes he was not meant to hear. _Maybe if I drink more_... But his thoughts were interrupted.

"Hey." She grabs his shoulder. Making him jump in surprise, unaware of her presence behind him.

He sighs when he turns to find her face.

"Hey." He throws back the moonshine he had been nursing for the past hour, slamming the tin on the table when it's emptied.

She gives him a questioning look. "You ok?"

He rubs a hand over his face. "Yeah. I'm just peachy." Getting up to walk away.

"Did I do something to offend you in some way?"

 _Princess, you have no idea._ "No. I'm just tired." So he walked back to his tent, only tripping once (thankfully he was out of her sight when he did).

He was laying in his makeshift bed when she barged in.

"You're a _terrible_ liar. Emphasis on the word **liar**." She crossed her arms, clearly angry.

He sat up, swinging his legs on the bed. His blanket made her oblivious to the fact he was wearing nothing but his underwear.

"Princess, what a surprise. Can I help you?" Starting off with an attitude made her even more bitter.

"You can tell me why you're mad. Because last time I checked, I haven't done anything that should piss you off."

He bit his tongue, knowing he was going to start yelling if he said one word.

"I can see you clenching your jaw! Just tell me so I can fix it!"

" _I care that he doesn't die so he can get his job done. End of story._ Sound familiar?" Her face went pale at his words.

"No..." She was so quiet it could be considered a whisper. Scoffing in response, he rolled his eyes and laid back down.

"Get out Clarke, I want to sleep."

"You weren't supposed to hear that-"

"Yes. I'm aware. You'd never tell me the brutal truth to my face."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look." He sat back up, the blanket still covering, but less. "I care about you a lot. I considered you to be one of my best friend's" _and more_ "but you don't see me as anything more than a cog in your big machine. And, fine, it stings" _I feel like I've been stabbed in the heart_ "but I'll move past it."

She stands there with glassy eyes. Pain evident.

"Uh, wow." She wiped away a tear that escaped. "I didn't mean any of that, but if it's so easy to 'move past it' then I'm just gonna go."

She turned to run. But he stood and quickly reached for her arm.

"Wait! What do you mean you 'didn't mean any of that'?"

"Lexa was close to someone, her name was Costia. The Ice Nation found out and captured her. They tortured her believing that since she was close to Lexa she must know her secrets. She did not. So they killed her, cut off her head and sent it to Lexa. I had to make it seem that you meant nothing to me because everyone I love is always taken from me. And I couldn't lose you too."

He stepped back from her, turning back towards his bed, rubbing his hand down his face.

"Uh..."

He looked back at her, figuring she had more. But she was just staring at his mid-section.

"Have you been naked this entire time?" He smirks a little at the flush of color creeping up her neck into her cheeks.

"I'm not naked Princess."

"Close enough." She averted her gaze to her hands, fidgeting. He thought back to her explanation,

"Did you say you loved me?" He furrowed his eyebrows together. Turning his attention directly at her.

"What? No..." She was still playing with her nails.

He walked up to her. Now when she was looking down, his lower front was in direct view. She automatically looked up, only to find his face. Searching her own.

"You're a _terrible_ liar. Emphasis on the word **liar**." He was mocking her earlier statement, making the pink tinge reach her ears.

"I...love all our people." Now she was just making excuses. And he was right. She was a terrible liar, especially when she is trying to add on to a lie she's already been caught on.

"Mmm, I do too. But I'm not terribly worried the Ice Nation is going to take them all. Mostly because you don't love all our people like Lexa loved Costia. And I'm pretty sure Roan was only addressing you about...who was it again?" Now he was being cocky. Dick move man.

She looked back at him with a glare.

"Jasper. He was talking about Jasper. I expressed concern about his mental state." She was lying, he knew that. But her face was stoic, and someone might've believed her if they didn't know the truth.

"Oh? But in your explanation, you said you couldn't lose _me_. Rebuttal?" He was pushing her now.

"Like I said, I care about every one of my people the same. You happen to be one of those people."

"Well, you actually said you loved all your people. And you did not say you loved them all the same. Also, I'm sure Jas will be a bit hurt when he finds out he's... what was it again? _The l_ _east of your worries_? Right?"

She was grinding her teeth now. She came in here to make him stop being mad at her, now he was angering her.

"Correct. I'm leaving now." She turned to leave again.

"What's the hurry princess? Got somewhere to be?"

"Yes. I have a date." She walked out of the tent without another word.

When she was a distance from his tent she whispered to herself, "A sparring date with a guard." She huffed off to find someone to beat up.

The next morning, all the grounders had left the camp. He was sitting in the mess hall with Raven, Miller, Monty, and the others. Raven flagged Clarke to sit down next to her. Pushing Miller off the bench, telling him to sit by Bellamy.

She sat down with her tray.

"Hey C. You good?" The latina asked, pointing at her knuckles, as they were cut and her hands were bruised. Bellamy looked up from his food to take in her beat-up appearance. Cut open knuckles, bruises on her hands and arms, some bruising on her face, and a nasty gash on her head. He was suddenly concerned.

"What the fuck happened?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with." She didn't even look at him, proceeding to stuff food in her mouth.

He spent the rest of the meal listening to Miller talk but did not engage, glancing at Clarke often. Eventually, Miller noticed and it got tiresome.

"Clarke, can I talk to you for a second?" He asked, motioning for her to follow him.

"Uh, sure Nate. Raven, don't eat my food." She got up and followed him to a doorway a way's away from the table.

* * *

"What's up?"

"How'd you get hurt?"

"What?" she laughed a little at the seriousness in his tone. "I thought you wanted to talk about something important."

She laughed lightly again, turning to walk back to the table. Miller grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the doorway and down the hall.

"Jeezus, I'm fine. Really. I'm not hurt that bad." She chuckled, wincing and grabbing her ribs.

"Yeah, you seem fine. Bellamy was staring at you the entire time I was trying to have a conversation with him. I told him 'I killed Octavia and brought her back by wishing to a magic genie'. Do you want to guess his reply? He said, 'Oh, I'm sorry you had to go through that.' Either tell him so he can focus again, or tell me so I can tell him."

"Look, just tell him I'm fine and he doesn't need to worry about me. Seriously." She turned again, but too fast this time. She fell onto her knees, grabbing her ribs again.

"Jeezus fuck, at least tell me, so I can judge if he needs to worry."

"Sparring. I was sparring last night, and I got hurt. No big deal."

Miller studied her as he helped her back up. "The guards who teach sparring aren't this rough. So..."

"I was with a grounder. They fight better anyway..."

He ran both of his hands down his face.

"Miller. I. Am. Fine. Let it go."

He looked at her, there was blood coming from her lower abdomen. He pointed out as such.

"Fuck. I'm going to go to Medical to stitch it back up, you will tell Bellamy he has nothing to worry about. Are we clear? Nothing more." He held up his hands in surrender and walked back to the mess hall and she stumbled to the med tent.

* * *

Bellamy watched as Clarke and Miller walked over to the entrance of the mess hall.

"What do you think they're talking about?" He asked Raven, not taking his eyes off the two.

"Maybe how she got hurt? Since she seems to not want to answer publically." She kept eating food off of Clarke's tray.

Miller grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the hallway, out of sight. He was tempted to jump out of his seat and follow them. But he trusted Miller.

He went back to his food, casually looking up to check if they'd come back yet. He saw Miller walk back in, but no Princess. He took her seat again.

"Where'd she go?" Raven asked. He hesitated.

"You can have her food, I know that's what you're really asking." He avoids the question, but Raven seems satisfied. Bellamy is not, however

"Didn't answer the question Miller? Where'd she go?"

He looked and Bellamy. Calm. "She told me to tell you she is fine, and you have nothing to worry about."

"Ok, but-"

"She told me to tell, specifically you, she is fine and you have nothing to worry about." He was so calm about it. Bellamy got up and stomped away. Heading to medical, she was always in there. When he pulled back the tent flaps he saw blonde hair and her henley shirt, attached to a pair of lips. Kissing said pair of lips. He backed out and started walking to his tent, fuming. When he got to the tent section, he found Clarke walking out of Harper's tent, pulling her shirt down and fixing it at her waist. He looked back in the direction he's come from _But if that wasn't her, then who the fuck...?_

"Thanks again Harper." Clarke acknowledged her kindness with a smile, which was a good look for her. So was her top. She was wearing a tank top now, one that barely fit. But, it showed her stomach and was tight around the rest of her. She had cut's up and down her arm, bruises to match, there was a rather large cut on her stomach looking like there were stitches in it, and the outline of a bandage around her ribs was visible.

 _To hell with "she's fine, don't worry about her." That isn't fine._

When she saw him, her smile dropped. She tried to dart into the rows out tents, but he caught up to her. Grabbing her shoulders to look at her.

"This isn't fine, princess. I'm worried."

"You're terrible at following directions." She got out of his grip and kept walking, but she wasn't running away. She was slow enough for him to follow her back to her tent.

Once they were out of public view, he got close and looked at all of her injuries. She stood still with no emotion on her face as if it was normal fo him to inspect her body like this. He backed up a bit to look over all of her.

"You about done?" She sighed.

"You left, said you had a date, " he looked confused and concerned, "And then this morning you show up all cut up and bruised. Explain."

She rolled her eyes, walking over to the makeshift table. She popped a few pills and sat on her makeshift mattress.

"First, it wasn't a 'date' date. It was a sparring date." He looked at her like she was crazy.

He was just about to spew out the same thing Miller said about the sparring guards when she stopped him.

"I started with a sparring guard but he was far too easy to beat. So...I was sparring with..." She seemed hesitant, " _A_ grounder."

She could see his muscles flew and his jaw tighten. _uh oh_

"Want to elaborate on _which_ grounder?" He already knew who.

Her face fell into an obvious frown, shaking her head. "Nahhhh. I'm gonna pass on that."

"I'm gonna kill him." He was walking out of her tent. She panicked and cried out in pain as she fell forward. "Princess..."

His face fell from fuming to worry. He helped her back into bed.

"Leave him alone, I asked him not to hold back. Besides, I got a few god shots in." She got a small smirk on her face at the last sentence. He lets out a single breathy laugh.

"I'm sure you did." He looked her over again. It wasn't anything too serious or anything she hadn't recovered from before. "Still, you could've just told me."

she scrunched her face up, "Nah, you care too much I don't want you to worry about me. Not worth it."

He raised his eyebrow. "What are you talking about 'not worth it'? Of course, you are."

She yawned, laying down. "Mmm, you'd be the only one to think that. But whatever, your opinion is the only one that matters to me anyway."

His face went from ' _she's so sweet like this_ ' to ' _I'm sorry, the fuck did you just say?_ '

"What? What do-" He looked at her, eyes shut, breath even. She was holding onto his hand, it wasn't a tight grip, but he didn't want to move. He moved to get in a semi-comfortable position. Sitting propped up against her bed, holding her hand, he began to fade into sleep.

She woke up first, feeling pressure on her left arm. She was laying on her right side, with her left hand under her head. However, when she opened her eyes, she was met with soft brown curls entangled with her own. Once her eyes adjusted, she saw his head leaning on her left arm, and she felt a small twinge in her right hand.

 _He's holding my hand..._ a small smile crept on her face as he began to stir. She closed her eyes again, pretending to be asleep. He moved but didn't release her hand. He looked back at her face.

"Morning Princess. I know you're awake." Her face forms a small smile.

"Morning." She opens her eyes to look at him. She looked at where their hands are connected. She smirked, "This is new..."

"Well, you grabbed my hand before you passed out. Speaking of which, did you drug yourself to avoid talking to me princess?"

" _Whaaaat?_ Nooooo..." She shook her head.

"You're a _terrible_ liar. Emphasis on the word **liar**." She laughed at the sincerity in his voice. Clarke winced when she tried to sit up. "Seriously, though, are you ok? I mean-"

She stopped his worry. She placed her mouth over his, slowly moving against him. Her lips were chapped, moving against his own. It was nice. It wasn't a rushed feeling or like something could come in at any point to stop them.

It was the kind of kiss that felt like you could just run out of breath and it would be fine.

They pulled away and just sat there. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Laughing at his smile.

"I am absolutely perfect." She giggled at the stupid smile that spread across his face again.

"You most certainly are, Princess."


	4. She'd Be Ashamed Of You

Genre: Hurt/comfort / Friendship / Angst

Rated: T (Worst thing: the word Fuck is used)

Word Count: 2,770

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Raven Reyes / A.L.I.E / Aurora Blake (mentioned) / Lincoln (mentioned) / Octavia Blake (mentioned) / Jasper Jordan (mentioned) / Monty Green (mentioned) / J. Sinclair (mentioned)

Relationships: Bellamy/Clarke (hinted)

Summary: Raven was tied to the bed and saying mean shit to get in people's heads. The story starts around right after they just dragged Clarke out of the room.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot / AU: of Season 3 Episode 11

A/N: Honestly, What is wrong with me? Apparently, I enjoy causing myself pain while writing these things.

* * *

Raven sat staring at him.

"You need to get me your location," Alie told her in a demanding voice. Raven looked at Bellamy, who was sitting in the chair.

"Y'know," He looked up at her. "This almost reminds me of our little time back at the dropship."

He smirks and shakes his head, dropping it back into his hands.

"Oh, cmon Bellamy. We've had our fun. You can admit that, can't you?"

"Sure. Whatever you want to hear to shut up."

"Ouch." They were silent for a minute. Raven could hear Clarke yelling in the other room. She looked and saw Bellamy noticed too. Concern evident on his face.

"Use it against him." Alie persisted.

"Wow." His eyes moved back to tied up brunette. "Who knew you'd actually care about the...what was it you called her? Princess? Yeah. Who knew you'd actually care about her."

He just ignored her and went back to ignoring her.

"Weaken him. What will make him weak, Raven?"

"Gina..." She whispered.

She got his attention again.

"Oh, you remember her? Weird." He gave a look. "Well, I mean, it is _your_ fault she's dead. You told her to stay, so you could go save _Clarke_. Again. It's a shame really. Gina really always knew."

"Gina did not know Clarke, Raven, where are you going with this?" Alie was questioning her tactics.

"Well, she knew you would never actually love her. I mean, not when you're in love with someone else." She nodded her head in the direction of Clarke's voice.

"Alright, Rav, whatever you think."

"Ooh, sore subject? Alright. I can find another one. Ah, one of my personal favorites. How about when you sided with Pike? When you got your sister's boyfriend killed. How does it make you feel, knowing she hates you?"

She could see him visibly tense. "Yeah. I love this."

"What? Hurting your friends for you little demon AI? Must be ton's of fun."

"No, you." He looked at her again, confused out of his mind. "No, I don't love you dumbshit. I love this whole...thing...this façade you put up." He still looked confused. "Honey, before all of this I was friends with you, Gina, your sister, hell even Clarke. I know, you act all tough, all the god damn time, but _god_ doesn't it get tiring."

"Raven, you literally have no idea what you're spewing out right now-"

"Sure I do. I also know that probably with a few sentences, I might break you."

"Is that so?"

"Mmhmm. Do you want to hear them? Because I've got a few since you sided with pike. Ooh! I even have one that _Kane_ told me while he was wasted."

"I can take whatever you've got."

"We'll see. Let's see, where to start? Hit heavy the first time or build up?" She was thinking out loud, trying to annoy him into giving in. But he wasn't going to. This wasn't his friend. This was some computer that had taken over her mind. "I'm gonna go back to an earlier question. How does it feel, knowing Gina died, inside that mountain, with the assumption you were in love with someone else, and she was a consolation prize?"

The muscles in his jaw tensed.

"He's distressed. Continue."

"Not feeling up to small talk? Alright. How about...Killing Lincoln? Because no matter how you phrase it, you'll always know in your heart. It's your fault. It's your fault he's dead. And in turn, it's your fault your baby sister is going to be hurt and broken for a _very_ long time. If not the rest of her life." Then she whispered to herself, but loud enough for him to hear. "Which isn't long, based on the way she's acting so far..."

He dragged his hands down his face. _It's not Raven. This isn't what she thinks of me...is it?_

"Strike a nerve? Alright, let's get into some of the heavier stuff..."

"Really? You think you can hurt me with your meaningless words?"

Alie took over Raven to speak. "Bellamy, I may be in Raven's brain, but she only says thoughts she has on her own or has had in the past. I cannot force people to think a certain way."

 _That can't be true..._

"Ah, yes the heavier stuff. I've been saving this up since you killed the army of grounders and put Lincoln in lock up."

"Hit me with it. Nothing you say is going to affect me."

She laughed maniacally. "This one should be fun."

Clarke walked through the curtain just as she spilled it out.

"Your mother would be ashamed to call you her son." He balled his hands into fists.

"Bellamy, out. Now." Clarke directed.

"Look! She's back to ordering you around after she left you with all the responsibility of those kids. Ha! There's another thing your mom would be ashamed of, your whole 'Mount Weather Genocide' thing. And the culling! Wow, you really have just crumbled as a person haven't you? Kind of sad really. The only reason you came down here was for your sister; she hates you and wants to get as far away from you as possible. You found a purpose leading those kids with blondie here; she left you. Hell, even on the Ark, your mom just dropped all the responsibility of Octavia on you; what'd she do? Oh Yeah, she got floated. Because of you."

He was next to the door listening to her spiel.

"Bellamy." He looked to the blonde. "Out."

He wanted to say something about her bossing him around and how she had no right. But he needed to hit something. The second the curtain had shut her off from him, he could hear her go back to ripping Clarke apart.

"Does it give you joy, ordering him around? It must feel like you're back on the Ark, all high and mighty because you were privileged." Clarke gave no response. Probably a smarter tactic than the one he used. "Y'know we met before I came down right? You probably don't remember. I was walking the halls with Finn and I accidently bumped into you. You dropped all your books, and your little friend _Wells_ threw a fucking hissy fit. Made me pick them up for you, hand them to you and apologize. And yuh just stood there. Smiling at my boyfriend. _Then_ , I come down here to find out you _slept_ with him. And you didn't remember either of us. Then again, why would you? It's not like we were _important_ enough to remember. Oh, but you remember Finn now right? Seeing as you killed him. And shit, I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you told him you loved him before you literally stabbed him in the heart. And we _both_ know that's a lie."

Alie was some kind of sadistic, bitch, she probably thrived off of other pain. The curtain was thin enough, they couldn't see him, but with the light coming from the room, he could see them. Clarke had stopped changing the bandages, sitting there. Motionless.

"Oh, honey. It's not a secret. It really never has been. You told Lexa the same thing didn't you?" She started to redo the bandaging. "Ha! You did. Probably slept with her too. Oh well, not like you'll be able to screw the one person you've wanted to since...when did you first meet again? I forget. You did tell me you knew him on the Ark. Wasn't he one of your arresting officers? No, too simple." Clarke had finished the right side, moving to the left. "Oh, yeah. You constantly ran into him in the hallways. I believe your words were 'Granted, the only time he acknowledged my existence was when he did arrest me, but before that, I would always just seem him in the halls, and he was _hot_ in that fucking guard uniform. And when I saw him down here? Fuck, it was like being stabbed in the stomach with a blade on fire. It was funny, though. I don't think he remembers locking me up.' Did it hurt honey? Watching him fuck girl, after girl, after girl? Even I got to sleep with him-"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. I'm not stupid. You told me pretty much everything after we started talking. You're terrible at keeping your personal stuff personal, did you know that? I can literally name almost embarrassing or shitty thing you've done. And even that's not all from you. Your mom is in here too Clarke. I know _everything_." She stiffened at the words.

"Your bandages are changed. We're done here."

"Alright honey, but don't forget..." She stopped till Clarke looked back at her. "You'll always be the little teenage girl who abandoned him after Mount Weather."

Clarke stomped past the curtain, past Bellamy, past Jasper bitching at her for 'running again, just like always'.

"Jas, go watch Raven. Stay quiet and DO NOT let her get to you. Alright? We're running out of people." He directed as he followed Clarke outside.

She knocked a bunch of stuff off of the table, then punched the fence.

"You're stealing my moves princess." He tried to joke lightly. She looked back at him in surprise. He could see the trail tears had left reflecting in the light. She wiped her face, going back to impassive Clarke.

"Sorry." His face straightened out.

"It was a joke, Clarke. You don't have to apologize." New tears were falling, and he could tell she was beating herself up for it.

"I'm still sorry. About everything..." She probably didn't know that he had heard her encounter with Raven.

"Thanks, but no need. I already forgave you at the gate when you walked away." She let out a wry laugh.

"How do you not hate me? I left you. You pointed that out when you handcuffed me to a table. How can you not hate me for everything I've done? For everything I've done to you?" _For leaving you outside of the dropship, for leaving you with almost no one, for sending you into the mountain, for lying to you and letting the village get blown up, for leaving you, for staying with Lexa..._

"I tried to. Trust me, it should have been super easy. But I couldn't. Some...I knew you would come back. I didn't know when or even if you would come back alive, but I knew you'd come back. And I didn't want you to have everyone against you, especially when you thought you were doing what was best for them." She looked at the ground. "I just...I'm still so stuck on it. How do you know if you're the good guy or not?"

She looked up, meeting her eyes with his own. He could see the pain, fear, depression, sadness, guilt. He could see her soul, and it was such a sad thing. She was moderately happy when they first got down here, and now? Now she was known as the Commander or Death.

"I only tell myself this to feel better, and it doesn't work but, maybe there are no good guys." She took his hand, checking the wound before retreating back into the building.

He went back in to relieve Jasper of the torture Raven was most likely causing him.

"Oh good. You came back for more?"

"Bellamy, really I can take it-"

"Just go."

"Ooh, bossy. I like it." He took up his previous seat. "Now, where shall we start? The fact that you heard everything I told your precious princess, or what Kane said when he was fucked up?"

"Let's start with Kane, I'm sure he had some very pleasant things to say about me."

She let out another maniacal laugh. "You have nooo idea."

He sat back, crossing his arms, preparing himself for the bombardment from Raven.

"Alright let's start out with his first quote. 'He almost make's me ashamed to be related to him.'" The muscles in his jaw twitch again.

"I still need your location Raven. Your plans are not working."

"They will, promise." She whispered so quietly, even he didn't hear.

"I sort of ignored it at first, but like the smart rational people we are known to be, more drinks were necessary. Anywho, we got about 4 or 5 drinks in when he starts telling me about how he didn't _want_ to leave your mom, but he _had_ to because of his position on the council. God forbid he see anyone was not in his social class."

"You telling me Kane is my dad, Reyes?"

"Did...Did I not make it obvious? Anyway, more drinks blah blah boring rant stuff then when he was good and shitfaced. Like, so drunk he was not going to remember that part of the night. Then he said 'Recently I've thought it would've been better if I'd never been involved with Aurora. Maybe her kids wouldn't be in this situation...well, shit...she wouldn't have kids...I wouldn't have had to float her. Lock up her daughter. Strip _my son_ of his guard position.' I'm sure he wanted to tell you. But y'know, then you went and killed an army so..."

Everything in him wanted to shoot everything and be alone forever. But it was just illogical and stupid.

"Now, shall we move on to you and the blonde murderer out there? I-"

"Raven. Hannah is dead. Her own son shot her. We need your location now or we will move on." _Move on = kill you and catch up with the second AI elsewhere_

"I...think you two would be the cutest together. I mean, you committed a murder of a whole society. Can't get a much deeper connection right? C'mon I don't understand how it hasn't happened before now, really? You literally stare at her like you want to swallow her whole. And she looks at you the same way... _with a very different meaning_ " He choked on his breath a little bit at her words. "it's got to be hard, it's been...what? a few months since you've gotten laid. Must take a toll on the body."

He want's to laugh at her. It doesn't matter when the last time he had sex. She was just stalling now.

"Why are you stalling Reyes? Little friend in your head upsetting you?" She's about to throw a rebuttal at him when Monty and Sinclair come into the room with the chip-defuser-thing.

He was standing by the door, Octavia had helped Clarke roll Raven onto her side and was cutting into her neck. We waited, _we were waiting for Clarke to tell us our friend was dead_. And after a moment the metallic substance came pouring out. The AI was out. Raven was...Raven.

When she did wake up. She studied her surroundings. Grabbing Monty and hugging him so tight, his ribs might've been bruised. But the kid didn't seem to care. He broke into tears and crumbled to the ground. We left him with Raven, Octavia, and Jasper sat in a chair being there for moral support (even though he didn't know what was wrong).

After Niylah left out of caution, we decided to stay the night at the trading post, hoping to get a few hours of sleep before making the trek to the ocean.

Clarke was sitting against the side of the rover. Knee's pulled into her chest, face buried in between. Instead of trying to speak to her and comfort her, He just sat down next to her. Not saying a word. Eventually, she brought her head and noticed he was leaning his head against to car. She still clung her knees to her chest but leaned her head against his shoulder. He put his arm around her, pulling her as close as she could get.

It wasn't said, but they knew there was a lot to talk about after all of this.


	5. Danny

Genre: Friendship / Romance

Rated: T

Word Count: 3,085

Characters: Clarke Griffin / Bellamy Blake / Monty Green / Raven Reyes / Octavia Blake / Jasper Jordan

Characters Mentioned: Nathan Miller / Lincoln / Marcus Kane / Lexa / Harper McIntyre / Danny (O/C) / Maya Vie

Relationships: Bellamy/Clarke / Clarke/OC (assumed) / Bellamy/FC (mentioned) / Octavia/Lincoln (mentioned) / Harper/ Monty (hinted)

Summary: Let's go back in time. Back to before S3E1. (Gina doesn't exist) Clarke has been gone for months and finally comes back, but she's changed. And she has a tattoo's.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot /

A/N: ask in reviews, I have a picture of Clarke's outfits. Reviews guys, I live for them. Also, someone should apply to be my beta, mine bailed on me.

* * *

He was sitting in the mess hall, chatting with Miller about guard shifts, when Monty came running up to the table with all his friends.

"She's back!" A few of them looked at him like he was crazy, but Bellamy just got up to go look. Sure enough, when he left the building he could see her walking through the gates with Lincoln, Kane, and a few other guards.

She looked different. Maybe _better_ wasn't the best word for it, but her demeanor wasn't the same as when she left all those months ago. No, this was a new Clarke. Now her clothes consisted of an undershirt, a large red flannel with rolled up sleeves, and her black jeans and combat boots, a sword attached to her hip. Her hair was up in a tight ponytail, but there were braids on the sides of her head flowing into the tied up hair. She had face paint resembling that of Lexa's but not the same. From her lack of clothing, he could see traces of black ink on her arms and collar bones. And while she didn't smile, her face seemed less haunted.

The first person to get to her was Raven, she "ran" to her and threw her arms around the blonde's neck. Soon she was slightly surrounded by what was left of the 100. She greeted them, occasionally looking up and around. She caught his eyes and held them, her stoic face breaking into the tiniest smile while talking to Harper about how she was recovering. She looked away only when Octavia walked up to her. The brunette didn't say anything, but after a minute of silence gave her a short hug and a nod then walked away. Monty interrupted everyone and grabbed her by the arm, probably bringing her to the council room so she could see her mother. She would have resisted but, it was visible she was lacking in energy.

 _What has she been doing all this time_ _?_ Bellamy thought. But apparently, his thoughts were shared.

"Lincoln said he's known where she's been for a while." He turned his attention to his sister. "She's been living with someone in a grounder village for the last couple of months, but he doesn't know where she was before that."

 _Living with someone? Like, someone...she was involved with?_ _No. Bellamy, stop it. Just be glad she came back at all_.

"You think too loud." She commented. "Just talk to her. None of that passive shit."

 _Just talk to her. Simple enough, right?_ Wrong.

He didn't see her for the rest of the day. They were all sitting by the fire when he saw her emerge from the Ark, stomping off in the direction of the tents. He got up to follow her, making hesitant movements. _Maybe she doesn't want to talk to me, it's not like she's sought me out or anything...No, you need to talk to her._ She had just entered a previously vacant tent. Standing a few feet away Bellamy considered if he should really go in there. But just because she hadn't sought him out, didn't mean he didn't have words for her to hear. He walked up to the entrance, clearing his throat so his presence would be known.

"Yeah?" She answered from within.

"Uh...um, can I come in...?"

"Sure." He opened the flap to the tent, noticing straight away she didn't have a shirt on. Her back was turned to him, but he saw her tattoo's. On her spine, she had the full lunar cycle. All over her left side, was black, fading out (like the edges of watercolor) as it got close to her spine, there were circles and small dots of her white skin representing planets and stars, there were a few small dots connected to scars she had to look like shooting stars. She threw a loose tank-top on before turning around. And down her left arm the galaxy print continued until past her elbow, then her wrist had _100_ scribbled on. On the front of her right shoulder, she had a crown with the word _Princess_ written under it, he couldn't help but smile at it.

"That's quite a lot of ink you got there _Princess_." He smirked, pointing at her right shoulder. She looked at it, before grabbing her flannel and throwing it back on. She still didn't say anything.

Her war paint was gone now, her hair was still pulled back and it allowed him to see all the soft features of her face. She looked tired, sad, guilt-ridden, but mostly she looked older. Her face showed so much pain, and it made her look so much older than the 18 she was.

They stood in silence, it felt like it should've been awkward but it wasn't. There was so much each wanted to say to each other, but the words couldn't seem to come out. Eventually, he decided to break the silence and ask the question her friends wanted to know,

"Where did you go? Where have you been?" She sat on the edge of the makeshift bed and let her face fall into her hands, sighing.

"Nowhere mostly." He looked dissatisfied with her answer, so she continued. "I wandered around. I only stayed in one place for one night or less. But probably 2 or so months ago I found a grounder village..." She trailed off, pondering if she should inform her former co-leader of all that had happened. She looked up at him. His face was impassive, but his eyes pleaded for her to tell him everything.

"I ended up injured and stayed for a while. It was a village of outcasts from all over. Trikru, Polis, Azgeda, etc. They let me stay until I could walk again-"

"You couldn't walk?!"

"Uh, no...I had an...encounter...with an Azgeda warrior." He looked at her with worry. She rolled her eyes and dropped her pants, not caring anymore. She pointed out the massive scar she had on her right thigh. "He pushed his blade all the way through my thigh, thinking I knew all of Skaikru's plans. Probably would've dragged me back to Azgeda too.."

"I sense the 'if it hadn't been for...'" She gave a wry laugh, she never could keep things from him. Even in the very beginning.

"If it hadn't been for...Danny. He shot the grounder and took me back to his village for treatment. So I just kind of stayed with him the entire time. They were all extremely nice. Even gave me a few new articles of clothes." She gestured to the flannel, undershirt and tank top she was wearing didn't know what to say.

He didn't know what to say. It was fake and came out bitter, but in a way, he did mean it when he told her, "Well, I'm glad you had your grounder boyfriend to take care of you while you were gone."

"Bellamy-" He couldn't stand there listening to her talk about someone else.

" _As much as you don't want to admit it. You fell in love with her. Didn't you?_ " Raven asked him that like she was a broken record. And, he'd never tell her but, she was right. He'd fallen helplessly in love with his feisty, little, blonde co-leader. And there was no way to escape the trap she'd caught him in.

He couldn't escape, but he could numb the pain temporarily. And that's all he'd been doing for the past months that she left him.

* * *

It had gotten quite warm in the spring and summer months. It was night time, but she was still quite warm. After she put her hair up into a braided bun and found the shorts her friend had given her at the village, she went back out to find someone to talk to. Sleep was still a fleeting thing, and she typically avoided it when it wasn't a necessity. She had found Monty sitting alone drinking.

"Mind if I join you?" He gestured to the seat across from him. Pulling out a thermos of moonshine, pouring some in a tin for her.

They drank for a while. And it was quite peaceful if she was being honest. It was late enough that not many Arker's were out and about, she could hear the crackle of the fire, she could hear some of her people laughing, she could hear her name being called.

"Clarke!" Her attention was brought back to Monty.

"Sorry. Spaced out."

"Yeah. Did you hear my question?"

"Sorry, can you repeat it?"

"I asked how you were doing..." She took a minute to ponder the question.

"Y'know what, I'm okay. I'm not great, and I could be better, but for now I'm ok." His mouth curved into a small smile.

"I'm glad. How was it? Out there." She told him all about being alone for the most part.

What it was like finding Danny.

How he graciously let her stay with him and his family.

She told him about his kids, and how she helped deliver his twin daughters (both of whom she was the godmother of).

They both laughed a bit at how Bellamy automatically assumed she had shacked up with Danny.

She showed him all of her tattoo's except her Princess one. That one was only meant for her. She hadn't meant for Bellamy to see it.

"You sound like you're dealing with this...in a good way." He glanced to their left, finding Jasper stumbling around.

"I'm not going to say I'm okay with everything I've done. I still can't sleep most nights, and I'm still always on the look out. But, I want to get to a point where I can accept the fact that they were my actions, and I can't change what I've done." Monty nodded along.

He understood. Jasper had gone from being his best friend to hating him in a day, and now he was walking around like a drunken idiot because he couldn't handle something everyone has dealt with since they came to the ground.

"He always asks me how I can be fine with what I've done...I'm not. I think I've come to terms with my actions, but that doesn't mean I'm not still haunted by them." Clarke took the boy's hand in her own.

"It's not easy, making the tough choices."

The continue drinking, even smiling occasionally. Then she hears a scream. But she knows that scream, it's a scream of pleasure. She looks a tad alarmed, but when she looks to Monty, his face remains impassive. He looks up the find a quizzical look on her face.

"Oh...Um...I-I don't-" Raven cut him off by pulling up a chair and cup.

"Bellamy." She sips her drink like that was an adequate answer.

"Now I am no expert, but here's what happened, in my opinion, based on what I've seen." She paused as if she was letting the blonde prepare herself for the explanation. "When you left, it...well, it broke him. And after a while, he tried to numb the pain with drinking. That was a shitty few weeks." Monty nodded in agreement. "But, he found it didn't work the way he wanted it to. So he went back to finding a new girl every other night. Blake craves pain relief, even if it's temporary. And everyone knows, getting drunk and fucking, that'll numb anyone for a bit."

She slowly nodded before throwing back the rest of the moonshine in her tin. After a bit, Clarke went over the same information she had just gone over with Monty, with Raven. When she pulled her flannel back over her shoulders, Bellamy appeared by the stills, sans shirt.

He saw her talking with Raven and Monty. But he also saw Jasper coming up on their left.

The boy came over and slammed his hands on the table, startling all who sat there, and a few people around too.

"How dare you. How dare you think you can just come back her and pretend like nothing happened like everything is great for you so everything should be great for everyone else too." He reeked of alcohol, and his words were slurring together.

"Back off Jasper." Monty stood up.

"Oh shut up Monty. You're just as much to blame. I get why she did it, she's a murderer, she can kill an entire society and still walk away. Hell, I even understand why _he_ did it." He pointed his flask in Bellamy's direction. "But I still don't understand how you, my _best friend_ , could help them kill everyone, including some of your friends, and still be fine."

"Jasper, back off dude." Raven was standing now.

"Sit down Reyes, I don't have an issue with you."

"Well, you're going to if you don't back the hell off. They are your friends-"

"Were. They were my friends. They stopped being my friends when they killed-"

"Maya." Clarke still remained seated, she even poured herself another round of moonshine.

"You don't get to say her name." Jasper seethed.

She stood up to walk away, but he pushed her against the metal of the Ark. Pulling her knife from her pocket up to her throat.

"You don't get to walk away either. Not again." She seemed relatively unphased while her friends were shocked he was doing this.

"You're not going to kill me, Jasper. I'm the murderer, not you remember? Besides, I have something for you." The muscles in his jaw twitched, keeping the knife at her throat for a few moments before dropping it. She walked to the tent she called hers. Pulling out a small box wrapped in wires. She held it out for Jasper. He snatched it out of her grasp. After untangling the wires, he fell to his knees in the dirt.

"W...why? How?" She crouched down in front of him.

"I am sorry Jasper. Really, I am. And I can't give her back to you, but I thought you should at least have a part of her." After patting him on the shoulder, she walked off towards the Med Bay.

"What is it?"

"It's her MP3..." They all look at her walking away, entering the metal structure.

* * *

"Something happened to her out there..." Raven commented. Jasper went to sulk and listen to his music and Bellamy had taken up her spot.

Bellamy scoffed, "Maybe her little boyfriend helped her."

Raven looked at Monty for an explanation. He, in turn, looked at Bellamy. "Are you talking about Danny?"

He threw back his moonshine, slamming the tin on the table. Monty looked a bit scared. Raven just rolled her eyes. "I knew I was right." Both boys looked at her. She looked to Monty. "He's jealous of grounder Dad."

"Grounder _Dad_?!" He stood up.

"Sit your ass back down Blake." He remained standing, seething. Jaw clenched. "I swear to god, I can't handle you and your sister..." She muttered. "Did she actually tell you who Danny was or did you make assumptions, like always?"

His jaw loosened and his faced morphed into one of slight embarrassment.

"That's what I thought. Now go find your princess and ask her to explain." The mechanic slapped him on the ass to get him moving. Once he left she looked to Monty.

"Now, let's chat about you and Harper..."

* * *

He found Clarke in Med Bay, talking to Octavia. He didn't want to eavesdrop, and he couldn't hear what they were saying anyway. So he stood in the doorway waiting for them to be finished. They rose from their seats and Octavia attacked her with a hug. They slid apart, still holding each other's arms. Clarke gave her a kiss on the cheek and another hug before telling her to go back to Lincoln. She spotted her brother by the door.

"Don't be an asshat." He shook his head and entered the Med Bay to talk to the princess. She was turned back to the counter.

"I've been informed of a few things in light of recent events." She stilled but did not turn to face him.

"Is that right?"

"Do I make assumptions too quickly or is Raven making that up?" Her muscles relaxed and her head fell forward a bit when she let out a small chuckle. Turning to face him and crossing her arms.

"You've been known to overlook important details before." He smiled.

"Well Princess, I am sorry. But, I've now heard your friend, Danny, be referred to as 'Grounder Dad' and I would like to get the facts so I don't make my own assumptions." She laughed. _Of course Raven would make Danny's moniker something as cryptic as 'Grounder Dad'._

She explained about how he let her stay with him and his family (his pregnant wife and 10-year-old son). She also explained how she helped deliver his twin daughters (because his wife was the village healer) and how she was their godmother because of it.

He laughed a little. "Alright, so I might've overreacted a bit when you mentioned living with him."

"A bit?" She laughed at him. She looked calm.

"Sorry..." He rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit she had noticed.

"It's fine. Just maybe...don't get so jealous the next time I mention living with another person."

He started to laugh then realized she referred to his reaction as jealousy. "Never said I was jealous, Princess."

"Raven." He looked at the ground and scratched the back of his neck again.

"She say anything else embarrassing?"

"Of course. Maybe you want to tell me and I'll pretend like I don't know?"

"Oy, it's gonna be a long night, isn't it?"

"Only if you want it to be." She winked before walking back out with him rushing after.


	6. Moving Day

Genre: Drama / Friendship / Romance /

Rated: T

Word Count: 8,438

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Raven Reyes / Kyle Wick / Monty Green / Nathan Miller / Jasper Jordan / Octavia Blake / Zoe Monroe / Harper McIntyre / Dante Wallace /

Characters Mentioned: Maya Vie / Lincoln /

Relationships: Bellamy/Clarke / Raven/Wick / Octavia/Lincoln (mentioned) / Harper/Monty /

Summary: Clarke is offered a job in Polis (a 5-hour drive from her resident town, Arkadia) after tossing around the idea of taking it, her feelings for Bellamy come into play. She's settled on telling him, but on the night she decides to. He's a bit too busy with his tongue down someone else's throat. So she orders a shot of vodka, tell Raven she's leaving in 2 days and she'll tell the rest tomorrow. But she has no interest in seeing him before she leaves. But like always, he finds out, and he's not happy about it

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot

A/N: Alright, pretty much all of my stories will have strong language, get used to it.

* * *

She doesn't know why she's surprised. This isn't something new. He's really always been like this.

 _I guess I figured since I invited him out to talk about something, he wouldn't shove his tongue down some slut's throat while he waited for me. Dumb._ She thought to herself, throwing shoes into boxes.

 **Three Days Earlier**

Clarke was sitting in the coffee shop her friend, Monty, owned. Raven sat in Wick's lap, complaining about something. Octavia was working as a barista behind the counter. Jasper had his earbuds in, listening to sad music trying to get over Maya breaking up with him. She could see Monty and Harper making out in the kitchen. And Bellamy was leaning against the bar top, flirting with some blonde girl with blue streaks in her hair. Another usual day.

Then it became unusual when her phone rang. She stepped outside to take the call.

"Hi, this is Clarke Griffin."

" _Hello, Ms. Griffin. My name is Dante Wallace. I have recently received a portfolio of your work._ "

"Oh?"

" _I must say, you are very talented. I run a gallery and, well...I was wondering if you'd be interested in a job._ " She almost dropped her phone, diving to the ground before it hit the pavement. " _Hello?_ "

"Sorry, I dropped my phone. You're offering me...a job? At your art gallery? Like an actual job?"

" _Unless you'd rather just put up a few pieces for sale?_ " She made a weird face of shock/excitement, still on the ground.

"Uh- I- I don't know what to say..."

" _Well, you can have some time to think about it. But I really must know by Wednesday._ "

"Um, Alright. Oh! Wait, where is your gallery? A tad important." He chuckled.

" _Right, of course. I am currently set up in Polis-_ "

"Oh, I live in Arkadia..."

" _I am aware. Housing is available if you do choose to work with us._ " She stood up and started jumping. " _Ms. Griffin?_ "

"Um, yes. Well, I'm going to take some time to think about it. I mean, I'd be leaving the life I've made for myself..."

" _Of course. Like I said before, you must let us know no later than Wednesday at noon._ "

"Can do. Thank you for this opportunity by the way."

" _You are quite welcome, Ms. Griffin. I hope to hear from you soon._ "

"Of course. Thank you again. Bye."

" _Goodbye._ " She hung up and started jumping up and down again. Going back in the coffee shop.

"What in the hell was that?" Raven asked. "You like fell and started jumping. Are you okay?"

Her face was stuck in a smile. "I'm great, I'll tell you about it at home. I have to go...do a bunch of things now." She stood uncomfortably for a minute before running away.

Bellamy walked over, having struck out with the blonde he was talking to, taking her spot. "What the hell was she on about?"

"No idea. But I think she's actually lost it this time." Octavia commented when she set down the coffee.

* * *

Clarke spent the rest of the day walking around town. Going to the beach, the park, the library, all of her favorite places.

 _It's not like I'd be moving across the country...Hell, I'm not even moving out of state. It's only a five-hour drive..._ She was trying to convince herself. Her thoughts were broken by another phone call. A picture of Raven flipping off the camera while licking the side of Wick's face popped up.

"'Ello?"

" _Hola Griffin. We're gonna get drinks in like an hour or so, you down?_ "

"Sure. Are you home alone right now?"

" _I am..._ "

"On my way, need to talk to you."

" _Alright._ " She hung up and started walking quickly back to their shared apartment.

When she walked in the door Raven wasn't there. She called her again.

" _Yo._ "

"Where are you?"

" _Oh, I had to go to the little market for a few things, I'll be back soon._ "

"Ugh, fine." She hung up, walking into the kitchen for something to drink

* * *

When Raven walked in the door she found Clarke lying upside down on the couch. Her head was hanging off the seat, her back on the seat, thighs against the back, and her calves thrown over the back.

"Your face is redder than the time you walked in on me and Wick."

"That tends to happen when I let the blood rush to my head."

"And why the hell are you doing that?"

"I'm trying to figure out things."

"Ah, makes perfect sense." The latina replied sarcastically going into the kitchen to put away groceries. The blonde was silent but stayed in her strange position. She got a strange look on her face before asking,

"You don't need me, right?" Raven stilled.

"Of course I need you. What the hell-"

"No, I mean like...You could afford to live here on your own and everything. Like, you don't need me to pay for half of everything right?"

Raven set down the items in her hand before walking into the main living area. She sat on the coffee table so Clarke's head was basically in between her knees.

"What the hell are you getting at?"

"Just...Humor me?"

She sighed. "I guess. I suppose I could live on my own if I needed to, but I'm not like kicking you out or anything. You know that rig- shit, did you hear me and Wick talking about moving in together? We were just-"

"No Rae. I..." She was struggling. "Help me up." She held her hands up. Raven walked behind the couch and pulled the blonde over, sitting her down on the top of the couch. "Oh jeez." She was dizzy.

"Clarke are you dying or something because you're scaring me..."

"Or something." She gave Clarke a questioning look. "I got offered a job. At an art gallery."

"That's great! I'm so happy for you! Why don't you look excited?"

"Well I don't have the job yet, I told them I'd think about it."

"Why? What's there to think about? You love art."

"It's not that simple Rae-"

"Why not? You get a job-"

"Rae-"

"It's something you love-"

"Reyes-"

"I don't see the prob-"

"Raven!" She yelled. Stopping the girl from interrupting. "I...The gallery is in Polis...I'd have to move if I wanted to work there."

Raven looked like a kid who's goldfish died. "Oh..." She went over to the chair and sat down, placing her head in her hands. "Alright. You're Clarke, so let's hear the 'Pro's & Con's' list you've thrown together."

She lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Why did she think her best friend would be mad at her for this?

"Alright. Pro: I've always wanted a job at a gallery. Con: I'd be leaving home. Pro: My work will finally be shown. Con: I'd be leaving all of you. Pro: Housing is provided, so I don't have to spend forever looking for a new place. Con: I love living with my best friend." They went over several more.

"Clarke, honey, it's really up to you. Whether you want to go or not."

"I know. And that's super unhelpful." The laugh lightly. "I want to stay...and Rae I love you and the rest of the gang but,...I don't really have anything keeping me here like-"

"A boyfriend." She shares a look with the blonde. "Maybe tell him?"

"No. Hell no. I can't-"

"You mean you won't."

"Whatever."

 ***PING***

 _ **Today Saturday 7/16**_

 _ **7:48 PM  
**_ **Octavia  
** _On our way over, best be ready bitches_

"You gonna tell them?"

"I don't know..." They walk off into their rooms to get changed, yelling at each other to continue the conversation. "Maybe I should tell him tomorrow, and tell the rest later on?"

"Sure. Sounds like a solid plan."

"Sarcasm?"

"No, invite him to the bar so you can talk after you get off your shift." Clarke walked into Raven's room to ask if her outfit was good.

"Yeah, I guess. This is still stupid." Raven disapproved the outfit.

"What?"

"Me. I shouldn't have feelings for his dumb ass. I mean, he's my best friend's _brother_. And it's been way too long for me to still like him." She came back in. Raven approved her black romper shorts that fell off her shoulders, lending her some black sandal heels.

"I guess, but I don't blame you. That face? And his body? Mmmm, nummy." Clarke slapped her arm. "Whatever. You can deal with all that tomorrow. Tonight, we get wasted."

Raven wore a nude long sleeved crop top with high waisted denim shorts, paired with nude platform heels.

They met Octavia outside, jumping in her jeep and driving to the bar.

When they got inside, they walked straight over to their usual table. Having Miller, Wick, Lincoln, and Bellamy make whooping noise and catcalls.

"Shut the fuck up you idiots." Raven playfully slapped Miller in the face before actually punching Bellamy in the shoulder, then proceeding to sit in Wick's lap.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"I have my reasons." Clarke rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Alright, well I'm getting drinks, who's helping?" The blonde asked, clapping her hands together.

Raven picked up her foot and kicked Bellamy off the booth seat.

"What the hell did you do to piss her off man?" Wick asked

"I don't even know!" He was exasperated. Stalking off towards the bar. Clarke left with a glare directed at Raven, who just smirked like she was innocent. She followed him to the bar, asking Monroe to get them their drinks.

"Did you piss her off?" He accused her.

"No? Maybe she just hates you extra today." She laughs it off.

"Nah, we were good when she left the coffee shop. I blame you." She holds her hands up in surrender.

"I didn't do shit. You're just very easy to hate, it's...everything about you. Highly aggravating." He laughs a deep laugh, sending chills down her spine. "You got drinks right? Good." She shuffles off outside. Finding her bouncer friend. "Hey, Murphy. You got cigarettes?"

"Of course not. Emori made me quit." He said, reaching inside his jacket handing her a pack of camels and a lighter, he whispered. " _Just take the pack, she'll kill me if she finds them._ "

She laughs and takes them, walking to the parking lot. She takes a long drag, sighing out the smoke.

"You know, those are gonna end up killing you." She turns to find him standing behind her.

"Eh, gotta go sometime." She held out the pack for him to take one, which he does.

"Why'd you run out? You haven't smoked in, what? A year or so?"

"I...uh...I just have a lot on my mind. Besides I've been sneaking them all the time, Raven just gets so mad at me." It's not a complete lie. She does have a lot on her mind. Like whether or not she should tell him how much she cares for him.

"Yeah, well she has a pretty valid reason. These are terrible." He says as he takes another drag. "Awful"

She laughs at him. Clarke misses this. They haven't hung out, just the two of them, in forever. Someone else is _always_ around. They mostly just stand in silence, listening to the beat of the music from inside the bar.

"I miss you, Clarke."

"What are you talking about? I'm right here-"

"You know what I mean..."

"Not really..."

"I...I miss hanging out. We always used to hang out. But now it's never just us, there always has to be someone around." _Did I not just think that?_

"Well, it's mostly _your_ sister. She has a feeling if she leaves us alone I'm going to kill you."

"Ha! Like you could kill me."

"Oh, I wouldn't like stab you or anything. No, slow poisoning. Slowly kill you while you don't even know it's happening." He laughs at her. While she smiles. Her cigarette coming to an end.

"See! I miss this. We were so close in high school...what the hell happened?" _Um, I fell in love with your dumb ass. It angers me too, don't worry._

"I don't know... But, high school was a long time ago."

"I guess..." He takes a beat. "Do you remember high school?"

She lets out a wry laugh. "The parts I was sober for. So not much..."

He gives her a sad look. "You didn't miss that much."

"My mom begs to differ. Apparently, I have no future and I'm pretty much screwed for life." She felt like things were getting to real. Taking a final drag, she threw the butt on the ground. "But that's in the past. I'm gonna go drink a bunch now." She walked away before he has a chance to talk to her. When she got to the front door, she saw Octavia talking to Murphy. He pointed at her, the brunette now stalking over to her.

"Where the hell did you- You smell terrible! You were smoking!"

She panicked. "Murphy gave them to me." Pointing at her friend like she was 10. When Octavia turned to look at him, Clarke snuck past her and back into the building. She went behind the bar (she worked there) and grabbed a shot glass, filling it for herself several times. Once she felt like she could deal with her friends again, she went back to the booth. Octavia was now berating her brother on how bad smoking is and how he was basically killing himself. When Clarke sat down, she pointed her accusing finger at the girl.

"And you. Blondie. You are just as bad, maybe worse."

"What the hell did I do?"

O narrowed her eyes, "You know."

"Jeezus, I'm not drunk enough for this." Genuinely annoyed, she got back up to go to the bar. Apparently, it wasn't a big deal to anyone except Raven, who followed her.

"Bitch, they are wondering what the fuck is going on with you. First, you leave Blake alone at the bar to go out and _smoke. Then_ you take a bunch of shots by yourself. Then you come back only to leave to get _more_ alcohol in your system."

"And? You said we should get wasted. I want to get shit-faced." Raven sighs.

"Fine. Give me a minute to catch up, though."

"Rae..."

"Nope. If you're gonna make bad decisions, then I'm gonna make the same ones."

"You're dumb."

"Well, so are you, so...I think I'm good." Her 7 shots came. "And here I go."

She downs them like a pro, one after the other. After she's done, she blinks a lot.

"Are we alcoholics?"

"Probably."

They both shrug, "Oh well."

Getting another tray of drinks they return to their friends, who all seem concerned. But all is forgotten when Raven commands, "Drink!"

And they do. They drink and drink and drink and drink way more than they should. By the time it was the last call, there were only three mostly sober people out of their group of ten. Lincoln (unsurprisingly), Wick, and (surprisingly) Bellamy; who only had one beer the entire night. Clarke and Raven were hugging and swaying in the middle of the floor, Octavia was poking her boyfriend's nose a lot, Haper and Monty were making out in the corner, Jasper was passed out on the floor, and Miller was puking in the bathroom.

Lincoln took Octavia, Jasper, and Miller. Wick got Raven, Monty, and Harper. That left Bellamy with Clarke. She was now slumped up against a wall.

"C'mon Princess, time to get you home." He held out his hand. She bats it away and makes a whiney sound. "You really gonna make me do this?"

She just curls up and closes her eyes. He sighs, picking her up. She wiggles around and moves so he's carrying her bridal style, burying her face into his chest. After getting out to the parking lot, he has a difficult time opening his car without putting her down. Eventually, he gets her laying in the backseat while he drives to her apartment building. Looking over his shoulder every once in a while, checking on her. She looks so peaceful when she's asleep. Only when he pulls into the parking lot does he remembers they live on the fourth floor and there isn't an elevator.

Sighing, he picks her up and proceeds walking up the stairs. Her arms are locked around his neck and she was mumbling random gibberish when he gets to her door. Wick clearly heard him grumbling about not being able to open the door (because he was too busy holding on to the princess) because he opened the door for his grumbling friend.

"Thanks..." Bellamy was clearly tired. Clarke was small, but still, carrying anyone gets tiring after a while. He took her into her room, but she wouldn't release him. Arms locked in a death grip. Thinking back, it might not be too bad to sleep with her, _l_ _ike genuine sleep_. He's done it before, and if she gives him a hard time about it tomorrow he can tell her that she wouldn't let go of him.

Picking her back up, he falls onto his back on the bed. Her laying next to him, practically on top of him. Clarke snuggles into him, releasing his neck only to hug his torso. His eyes were drooping. She was still mumbling gibberish, but he did understand, "Mm love you," before his eyes fell shut.

Wick walked down the hall, backing up to see the adorable sight before his eyes. He took a picture before going back to Raven's room.

* * *

Clarke wakes up and snuggles back into her warm pillow, but then her pillow moves and her eyes shoot open. She'd recognize his smell anywhere; cigarette smoke, pine trees, and a sort of metallic scent. She smiled, another thing she missed from way back when. They used to fall asleep like this all the time.

She lull's herself back into her peaceful slumber.

He wakes up with a familiar feeling, only she smells like strawberries, booze, and smoke. _I could stay like this forever_ , he thought, closing his eyes again. But then her alarm goes off and everything is awake. She shoots up, falling off the bed in the process. He fails at hiding a laugh.

"Ha ha. Very funny." She got up, walking out of the room while bending backward trying to stretch her muscles. When she got to the kitchen coffee had already been made with a note

 ** _Got called into work. Made_**  
 ** _coffee, tell Wick I'm sorry_**  
 ** _for missing him, but he_**  
 ** _wouldn't wake up. Saw you_**  
 ** _two, super cute. I am going_**  
 ** _to tease you later. Don't_**  
 ** _forget to invite him after_**  
 ** _your shift._**  
 ** _Much love,_**  
 ** _Reyes_**

She laughed, pouring herself a cup. Both men came in.

"Where the-"

"She had to go to work. Said she'll make it up to you later." He smirks, earning an eye roll and a newspaper thrown at him.

She went back to her room and got ready for work. _It's already three in the afternoon, how the hell did I sleep until three?_

After coming out she found Bellamy shirtless and Wick missing.

"Blake. Where the hell is your shirt?"

"Wick dumped coffee all over me..." She just rolled her eyes _I don't have time for these kind's of distractions_

"Alright, whatever. You know you can stay for however long. But, can you come towards the end of my shift? I wanna talk about something kind of important."

"Well-" Her phone rang.

"Yeah...Zoe, I'm on my way...Chill...Yup, be there soon...ok, love you too, bye." She directed her attention back to him. "Meet me at the bar?"

"Yeah, see you later."

"Ok, bye." She rushed out the door. Kyle came out moments later.

"Wow, you two are hard to watch." Bellamy chased after him with the newspaper again.

* * *

Her shift was coming to an end. Only 25 minutes left. Bellamy walked in, ordering a drink.

 _You got this. Just tell him, and if he rejects you, you can leave for your new job...making it appear like you're running away like the scared little bitch you are. Fuck I hate myself. C'mon, it cannot be this hard_ , She looked up. Her shift ended five minutes ago. Walking into the back she returned her waist apron and clocked out. Running into Monroe before she went back out.

"Oop, sorry Clarke."

"No big deal." She studied the small girl before embracing her rather tightly.

"Oh! Ok..." She hugged her back. "What was that for?"

"No particular reason."

"Alright." She laughed. "See you later C."

Clarke walked back out to the main floor of the bar, looking around for Bellamy. It took a few minutes, but she spotted him. He was sitting at the bar, holding on to some girls hips while shoving his tongue down her throat. Clarke felt like she couldn't breathe. She went to the back again, grabbing her purse before walking out. She was confident he didn't see her leave, he was far too busy with his skank. She was walking home went her phone pinged, alerting her of a text.

 _ **Today Sunday 7/17**_

 _ **9:52 PM  
**_ **Bellamy  
** _I'm here, where are you?_

She stared at her phone in disgust.

 _ **9:54 PM  
**_ **Clarke  
** _Got sick.  
Went home.  
Talk another time._

Her messages were impersonal, which was unusual. He would most likely notice and call her out on it, but she didn't have the energy to care so she turned her phone off. Once she opened the door of her flat she found Raven curled up next to Wick, with Octavia and Monty occupying the other seats. Raven saw the hurt in her face, jumping up to hug her.

"I'm sorry, baby girl..." The blonde was sobbing.

"I didn't even get to tell the fucker. He was too busy tongue fucking some skanks mouth." She whispered into Raven's shoulder, shaking. Octavia paused the program.

"What the hell is happening?"

Clarke got a hold of herself, barely.

"Well, I've made a decision. I am moving to Polis. I've been offered a position at an art gallery, so I am moving. Raven already knew, and I was going to tell the rest of you tomorrow after...Anyway, I'm moving. So I need to go make a phone call and start packing." She walked down the hall leaving her friends dumbstruck. She shuffled back out, catching their attention. "You can tell whoever, just not Bellamy. I have no desire to see him before I leave." She disappeared behind the corner. Reemerging yet again. "Which is Tuesday by the way...Ok, now I'm done."

Clarke shut her door, taking a deep a breath before collapsing onto her bed in a ball of tears. She cried until she felt like there were no more tears. Once silent, she could faintly hear her friends whispering.

" _What the hell did he do this time?"_

 _"It's a long story, O. One she definitely doesn't want to talk about right now."_

 _"So pretty much everyone is going to know, then on Wednesday. He'll show up and she'll be gone? Yeah, that won't break him or anything."_

 _"Monty, c'mon. You know what's up with her, be nice."_

 _"Ok, I know, but that doesn't mean I like it. I don't like hiding things from my friends, especially Bellamy. He always knows. I'm going to have to hide from him. Which is gonna be hard seeing as he's probably at my place with Miller and Jasper right now..."_

 _"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on? All I know is my best friend is moving away."_

 _"O, just...talk to her about it tomorrow. Now isn't a good time."_

 _"Ugh!"_

Clarke moved away from the door pulling out her phone and turning it back on. There were two missed calls from Bellamy and five messages.

 _ **Today Sunday 7/17  
10:03 PM  
**_ **Bellamy  
** _What's_ wrong?

 ***missed call***

 _Clarke.  
Pick up._

 _ **10:07 PM  
**_ **Bellamy  
** _C'mon, I'm worried._

 _ **10:12 PM  
**_ **Bellamy  
** _I will come over. Please answer, I'm worried._

 _ **10:22**  
_ **Clarke  
** _I'm fine._

 _ **10:22 PM  
**_ **Bellamy** _  
_ _What's wrong?_

 ** _10:23 PM_  
Clarke** _  
Nothing, I told you. I got sick.  
I'm going to sleep now.  
Don't come over._

She called Dante Wallace, leaving a message saying she had decided to take him up on his offer and that she could be there by Tuesday.

Clarke could hear her friends leaving, she sat on the end of her bed knowing what would come next. Raven burst through her door, Wick hot on her tail.

"Alright, what the hell was that?! You just made a split second decision to move because you saw Bellamy making out with some girl?! Honey, I love you, and I stand by my comment about this being a decision, but don't make it based on _that_."

"I'm not. I've been thinking about it all day. Like I said before, I don't have anything _major_ keeping me here."

"Wait, you're into Bellamy?" He was trying to make a joke to lighten the situation but both girls looked at Kyle like he was insane. "I'm just gonna...Yeah, Raven, I'll be in your room." He said walking away.

"What happens when he finds out you moved?"

"I don't know."

"What if he chases after you?" The blonde laughed at her.

"Alright, if he tells you he's going to chase after me, you tell him it's a bit late for that."

"Clarke..."

"No. Look, I'm done dwelling on it. I'm going to start packing."

"Babe, it's 10:30. You won't stop until you're done. Go to bed, I'll help you in the morning."

"Ok, Rae."

"You're gonna start anyway, aren't you?"

"For sure."

"Alright, I'll get some boxes in the morning. Good night, baby girl."

"Night." She sat on the end of her bed, looking around her room. She's lived here for 6 years, almost 7. Now she was going to leave it all, for a job. A job she didn't even know if she wanted. _No, you want this. You've always wanted this, and now you're getting it. Just...stick with it for once in your life_.

She pulled out her suitcase and duffle bag and started throwing her clothes in. Leaving out enough for the next two days. Honestly, once she got started, it was easy. Just throw everything she wanted in the bag and toss anything she didn't into a trash bag.

Everything went by pretty quick, she didn't notice it was morning until Raven pounded on her door.

"I'm gonna go get some boxes from the garage, be back in like 20."

She heard the door close and decided she could give herself a break. So she pulled out her laptop to look up more about her future workplace. It was actually very successful. _Mt. Weather Art Bunker_ , turned out it actually was a huge bunker that he (Dante) had turned into a huge business. She was reading about it when her skype rang.

 _ **Nathan Miller**_

She picked up, "I look terrible, don't comment."

"Shut the hell up, you look fucking perfect as always. I could bitch at you for days about that. You're moving?!" He was aggressively whispering at her.

"Yeah. Why are you whispering?" She thought about Monty's comment from last night. "Bellamy's there?"

"Obviously. C'mon Griffin, what the hell? You just randomly, out of nowhere-"

"No. I got a job offer and decided to take it."

"Still..."

"Look, it's not easy. But-"

"Sh!" Miller tilted his computer screen down, so the camera was pointed at his stomach. She could hear voices.

" _Who are you talking to Miller? It's like eight in the fucking morning..._ "

"Well, you see, normal people wake up at this hour. Maybe you would too if you didn't get drunk every night."

" _You know-_ "

"We'll talk about it later man, I have...a conference call."

" _Conference call?_ "

"Yeah." She could see him lifting up the computer and walking, most likely into a different room. He tilted the camera back up to his face. "He's going to find out."

"Whatever."

"You know I know right? About you...y'know..." She looked confused. "Feelings."

"Oh. Ew. Not part of the reason."

"Clarke..."

"Alright, love our little chats, Nate. Talk to you later." She slammed the lid at the same time her door opened revealing Raven and boxes.

"Ready?"

"Why not."

They got to packing up her room, and she got to thinking.

She doesn't know why she's surprised. This isn't something new. He's really always been like this.

 _I guess I figured since I invited him out to talk about something, he wouldn't shove his tongue down some slut's throat while he waited for me. Dumb._ She thought to herself, throwing shoes into boxes.

 ***PING***

 _ **Today Monday 7/18**_

 _ **8:36 AM  
**_ **Jasper  
** _Moving?!  
What gives you the right to leave me!  
DX Please take me with you..._

 ***PING***

 _ **Today Monday 7/18**_

 _ **8:36 AM  
**_ **Harper  
** _Is there a reason Monty is hiding b/c of you?  
Nvm worked it out  
Clarke, I'll miss you so much...  
_

 ***PING***

 _ **Today Monday 7/18**_

 _ **8:37 AM**_ **  
Octavia** _  
I still think this is a terrible idea  
Are you gonna tell me what made you decide this?_

 ***PING***

 _ **Today Monday 7/18**_

 _ **8:37 AM**_ **  
Monty** _  
I'm sorry about him  
It's killing me not telling, though  
I'm hiding at Harper's, we'll probably come over later_

 ***PING***

 _ **Today Monday 7/18**_

 _ **8:38 AM**_ **  
Miller** _  
I'll punch him if you want  
What'd he do?  
Imma punch him regardless  
I punched him, he looks mad now  
I'm coming over, I need to hide_

She laughed at her friends. Telling them to come over at random points in the day to talk. Raven was helping her put things in boxes when her phone rang.

"Oh, it's Mr. Wallace, I have to take this. Be right back." She stepped out onto their terrace.

"Mr. Wallace, Hi. Did you get my message?"

" _I did, I'm very grateful you'll be joining us. Now, just a few things to discuss before you make your_ final _decision."_

"Alright."

" _First, you mentioned you would be able to be here by tomorrow. While that would be excellent, we are still clearing a space for you in the housing area. On that note, housing; while it is available, we like to consider it temporary. Sort of like a place where you can stay until you find a home for yourself._ "

"Oh, so I can stay there while I look for an apartment or something?"

" _Exactly. But we do not put a time limit on your stay, we know how hard it is to find decent living arrangements. Anyway, back to my first point. We are clearing space so I'm afraid we won't have a place for you until about Friday._ "

"Oh, alright. That's fine, gives me time to go through my stuff instead of throwing it all in boxes." He chuckles.

" _Yes. Now, I also called to inform you two of your pieces have been sold. Would you like me to hold on to the sale until you get here or mail it to your current address?_ " She was shocked.

"Uh...um, I'm sorry. What...uh...what pieces?"

He laughed a little, " _L_ _et's see...ah it was_ Untitled _and_ Princess & King _. What should I do with the sales?_ " She was a little shocked.

"Princess and King" was just supposed to be a starry night landscape. But somehow the stars looked like hands reaching out for each other. It was one of her earlier works, she barely remembered it.

"Untitled" was actually a photograph. It was a black and white silhouette of Bellamy smoking against the sunset on their terrace. Exactly where she was standing.

" _Ms. Griffin?_ "

"Huh? Oh, sorry. You can call me Clarke. Uh, yeah just mail it to my current address, please. Thank you."

" _Of course._ Clarke _, do you have any questions?_ "

"Not really. Oh! Wait, I forgot to ask. How did you come in possession of my portfolio? And how many of my pieces do you have?"

" _About five pieces, all of which are up. And I'm not at liberty to say._ " Naturally.

"Of course. Well if I have any questions or concerns do I just ring here or...?"

" _Well, there is a company line, but it takes forever to get through. So you can just call me here for now. We look forward to having you soon._ "

"Yeah, I'm excited. Well, I better go slow down my roommate from trying to ship me out." She was joking but had a hint of seriousness to her tone.

" _We'll talk soon. Chiao for now._ " He hung up.

 _He's a bit strange..._ Clarke thought, before going back to her room to tell Raven. Instead, she found her friend crying on her bed.

"Rae?" The latina sat up straight and wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to fake as if nothing happened. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She lied.

"Raven Reyes. Don't." The girl looked up and broke down again.

"I don't want you to leave! I'm not prepared to lose my best friend!" She threw the shirt she was holding.

"Hey, I'm not gone yet. And, unfortunately, you're stuck with me until at least Friday." Raven looked a little less sad.

"Dammit, I was almost rid of you!" She joked they both laughed, tears still in the girl's eyes.

"C'mon, let's go watch some shit TV. Take a break."

* * *

Bellamy was bored the entire day. Whenever he texted one of his friends they were busy or "in a meeting". He ended up going to the bar, _maybe Clarke is on shift and I can figure out what was wrong_. It wasn't that late in the afternoon so it was not busy. The owner, his good friend, Zoe Monroe was working the bar.

"Hey, Bellamy! A bit early to be drinking, isn't it?"

"You denying my company?"

"Of course not, I just figured you'd be out with your little gang celebrating." _What was there to celebrate?_

"No they all said they were busy. Besides I wanted to see if Clarke was on shift, we didn't get to chat yesterday."

"Oh, sorry, can't help you there. She quit last night." His head shot up in surprise.

"What? Why?"

"Well, it's kind of hard to keep a job when you live that far away, the commute isn't great." He could tell she was trying to make a joke towards the end, but he was desperately confused, and she could read that from his face.

"What are you talking about? She lives like 15 minutes, walking distance, away."

"Oh, you didn't know?"

"Didn't know what?!" He was frustrated now.

"She got a new job at some fancy art gallery, she's moving like tomorrow or something." He was dumbfounded. Surely this was Monroe trying to make a terrible joke. She would've told him if she was moving, right? And where the hell would she be moving?

"I-uh-no, I didn't know."

"Oh, that sucks, man. Drink?"

"Yeah." He nodded absent-mindedly, grabbing the glass and downing it in one gulp. It only feels like he has a few drinks but he knows it's a lot more than he should. The bar gets busier around him. When he walks out, it's nighttime. Bellamy decides to confront the woman in question, starting to walk to her flat. He doesn't even know the time when he gets to her door. _Her_ door. It's so familiar, he's been coming here for years and she's just going to leave it. His head falls forward. Hitting the door thrice before he just leans against the frame.

"What the- Bellamy? What the hell are you doing here man?"

"Wick, where's Clarke? Monroe said she was moving. No one told me. Why? I-why? Just..." his words were slurring together and he forgot what his point was.

"How hammered are you?"

"How hammered are _you_?"

"Jeezus, they aren't here. Just...god dammit, I can't send you home. You can't drive."

" _You_ can't drive!" He pointed his finger at the blond man's chest before falling forward a bit.

"Fuck, just...Are you gonna sleep if I put you on the couch?"

"Mmm." His eyes were closed and he was struggling to keep them open. Kyle pulled him in and basically threw him onto the couch.

"You gonna remember anything from tonight?"

"Doubtful..." His face was squished against the faux leather.

"Good, then I'm gonna rant at you." He clears his throat. "You, are a fucking dumbass. It's painfully obvious you like Clarke, hell you might be in love with her, pretty sure she's in love with you too. But no, you throw all that away for...what? Random hook-ups with girls you don't remember the names of? Classy. She invited you to the bar to tell you something important and instead finds you shoving your tongue down some bimbo's throat. So she broke. She broke and gave up. Now? Now she is moving away. To Polis. _Polis_. Just a snobby rich person town that everyone hates. And my Raven is fucking heart broken because her best friend is leaving her."

"Miller punched me this morning." He pointed at the bruise on his jaw. "That have something to do with this?" His words were so slurred and squished, it was difficult to understand.

"Probably. I'm tempted to punch you. You broke my friend! And my girlfriend! I-" He takes a deep breath. "Just, why? Why throw away happiness for _meaningless_ sex?"

It silent and Wick assumes he fell asleep, getting up to move.

"Because..." He waits. "Guys like me don't get happiness. Certainly not with a girl like her."

"What? What-"

Before he can ask, Bellamy is snoring against the pleather couch and the door is opening to reveal seven of his friends who stop dead in their tracks when they see him.

"What the fuck is he doing in this apartment?" It was so angry, he couldn't tell if Raven was going to stab Bellamy or himself.

"He showed up wasted out of his mind and almost passed out just standing at the door. I couldn't send him home, he could've gotten hurt-"

"Wick, you-"

"No, Rae. It's fine, he can sleep off whatever stupor he's in, tonight. But he needs to be gone in the morning before I wake up. I was serious when I said I didn't, and I still don't want to talk to him."

"He asked about you moving..."

"Good." There were tears forming in her eyes. "I'm going to sleep now. It's been a long day." Clarke stomped to her room but didn't slam the door, which somehow made it worse.

Octavia pointed at the bruise on her brother's face. "What the hell...?"

"He said Miller punched him." Miller's head popped up from the back.

"I did. Hurt my baby, Clarke."

They all stood in the living room, staring at a passed out drunk Bellamy.

"Do you think they'll work it out?" Monty questioned.

"I don't know this time," Octavia answered honestly.

"C'mon, they're Bellamy and Clarke. They always work things out..." Jasper wanted to be confident.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up Jas, this time...it's different." Raven put a hand on his shoulder.

Jasper slumped into the chair closest to him, "I hate when mom and dad fight..."

They all looked at one another, agreeing with his statement.

* * *

He woke up to find all of his friends staring at him (well not all of them).

"Jeezus!" He yelped before he fell off the couch, grabbing the back of his head after hitting it on the hardwood.

"Look, sleeping beauty is awake." Raven joked.

"Oh, god." He rubbed the back of his head and his shoulders before remembering why he was there. "Clarke."

"Not here, go home."

"Fuck." Picking up a pillow and throwing it.

"Alright, calm your shit. She still lives here. She's just out." Raven crossed her arms, clearly upset.

"Where is she, I need to talk to her."

"Out of luck. She doesn't want to see you." Miller interjected.

"You and I are talking later." He was angry, but he sat back down on the couch. "I'm not leaving until I talk to her."

Raven let out a loud humorless laugh. "Nuh uh. Get out. She still lives here and she doesn't want you here."

"Too. Fucking. Bad. I _need_ to talk to her." They just continued to stare.

"You remember coming here last night? Anything?"

"You mean your little rant, Wick?" Wick swallowed visibly "Not really." A wave a relief washed over his face.

At that moment Clarke walked in the door with grocery bags. She stopped dead when she saw him. Her jaw tightened and she walked into the kitchen. Bellamy got up to follow only to be blocked by Jasper and Monty. He looked underwhelmed, then Raven stood in front of them and he sat back down. He sat, but that didn't mean he was backing down.

"Clarke, I want to talk." She remained silent, but he could hear she stopped moving. Monty left to join her in the kitchen, he found her crying silently over the counter.

"He needs to leave. Now." He announced without reappearing.

"I'm not leaving."  
"Yes, you are."  
C'mon, just go."

"No, I-"  
"You don't get a choice."  
"Alright, don't push him."

"I just want to talk."  
"So did she."  
"Miller, if you punch me again, Imma hit back."

It was overwhelming her ears hearing them all talk over each other. She put an end to it.

" **Enough**!" She yelled, getting everyone to divert their attention to her. When he looked at her, he saw her face was red, her eyes were bloodshot, there were tear stains on her cheeks. "I'll talk to you, _only_ because I know you won't leave."

He backed off a little, loosening up.

"I want to talk to you alone."

"Fine, whatever." She walked towards her room. He was about to follow before Raven stopped him again.

"I swear to god Blake, you hurt her. You die. Simple as that." Punctuating each word with a poke to the chest before moving out of his way.

He followed after her, shutting the door behind him. Her room was now bare, it almost had the appearance of no one living in it. Except, for the hole by the (now empty) closet from his head when he fell off her bed while they were drunk. Scratches on the hardwood from moving her dresser. Paint splatters all over the wall from her many hours spent painting. After he stopped looking around, he found her sitting cross-legged at the head of the bed.

"What."

"What?"

"You said you wanted to talk, talk."

"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"

"Didn't seem important."

"Didn't- You told all of our friends, but it wasn't important that _I_ know?"

"No."

"What the actual fuck would ever give you that impression?"

"Not like you'd really miss me." There was a sting of hate in her voice, she was mad.

"Wouldn't miss you- Are you fucking joking?" She seemed unamused. "Princess-"

"No. You don't...No." She was even more pissed.

"Clarke..."

"Look, you have your sluts. Just go crawling back to one of them, you'll barely notice I'm gone."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You-" She stopped herself, taking a deep breath. "Nothing. Just...nothing."

"Princess-"

"Stop!"

"Clarke. What the hell is going on? Talk to me."

"No! You don't get to do that." She was on the verge of tears again, shaking her head so much he was afraid she was going to hurt herself.

"I don't get to do what? I-"

"You don't get to care. Not now. Not anymore, I'm done. I'm...I'm just done." Tears were falling down her cheeks.

"What is happening?! Why am I suddenly not allowed to care about you? What the fuck did I do?"

"You-" It was taking everything in her to not snap and tell him everything.

"Clarke..." He was giving her such a sad look, it hurt her.

"I can't do this anymore. I just can't." She was whispering now, tears flowing.

He wanted to hug her, she'd curled up into a ball. He just stood there, unsure of what to do next. She got a hold of herself and settled on explaining it.

"You-uh...the other day, you said you missed me. Like you missed when we were super close. Well, that would be my fault. That we aren't close anymore, that...that's my fault. I...uh...I distanced myself from you as much as possible-"

"Why?"

"Well," She let out a dry laugh, "Being the dumbass I am, I fell in love with you."

He straightened up, shock evident on his face. "I uh...I didn't-"

"I didn't want you to know. But...uh, after a while, I realized it hurts. It hurts _so fucking much_ to watch the person you love, go after _everyone_ but you."

"Clarke I-"

"No. Look I get it, ok? We've known each other since I was like 12. I just..." She took a deep breath. "I just can't deal with that anymore. And, now I have a job, it's just an added bonus that I no longer have to watch girls throw themselves at you."

"Clarke-"

"I wanted to tell you on Sunday, but...it's kind of hard when I walk out to find you making out with some other girl, again."

"She-"

"I don't care, ok? Look, I've said my piece. You...you can just go."

"Clarke..." She looked back at him. "I didn't know..."

"I know." Tears falling down her cheeks again.

"I...I don't know...I-"

"Look, please just go..."

"I'vealwayslovedyou." He blurted it out really fast.

"What?" Her tears ceased, and she stood still.

"I...uh" He rubbed the back of his neck again. "Look I don't expect it to change anything. I just...God. This is turning out like one of those fucking cheesy romance movies you force me to watch."

"Shut up, you love them."

"Alright, maybe I do." He took a pause. "I do love you. I never meant to hurt you-"

"You didn't know. It wasn't your fault-"

"Yes, it was." Letting out a wry laugh, he continued. "I've been in love with you for years, and I was too much of a fucking coward to admit it. So, instead, I slept with a bunch of girls trying to forget the fact that I'd never be able to have you."

"Bell-"

"You deserve so much. And, let's face it, you can do so much better than me." He was trying to make a joke, but it came out sad. "What..uh...what gallery was it?"

"Mt. Weather."

"Good. I really liked that one." He turned to the door. She abruptly stood up.

"It was you?" He stopped, turning back to look at her. "You sent my portfolio?" She slowly walked towards him.

"Like I said...You deserve everything. Maybe you can find it there-" She broke off his words by placing her lips on his. It only took a moment, but he reacted, placing his hands on her waist, pulling her closer. She pulled back.

"You taste like cheap booze and walnuts." She had a small smile on.

"Shut up, you love it." He mocked her earlier statement, kissing her again. He pulled back, placing a kiss on her nose and her forehead, leaving them there. He mumbled against her, "I'm not going to ask you to stay..."

Then, from the other side of the door. " _We will! Stay!_ "

She let out a small laugh, resting her forehead against his sternum.

"Clarke," She looked up, "If you want to go, you should go."

"Ask me to stay."

"Clarke-"

"Tell me I can't go."

"I'll never tell you what to do." She kissed him again, hard. Pushing him backward towards the door.

Someone started pounding on the door along with catcalls and whoops.

She smiled against his lips and could feel him smiling too. She broke off, laughing put her head against his chest. He kissed her head.

"I should probably call them back, tell them I can't move."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, besides, he gave me the option of giving a few pieces to sell. Two from my portfolio already sold."

"That's because you're brilliant."

"Funny." He kissed her head again before she backed off. Noticing the bruise, she traced it with her finger. "Did Miller _actually_ punch you?"

"He did. I think you are far too liked. I had _no one_ on my side, not even my sister."

"Like I said before, you're just very easy to hate, it's everything about you. Highly aggravating." He laughed that deep laugh again, and it still sent chills down her spine.

But this time she didn't run off, she stayed and kissed him, again and again.


	7. Wedding Mishaps

Genre: Romance / Friendship / Family

Rated: T

Word Count: 11,499

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Octavia Blake / Aurora Blake / Nathan Miller / Jessie Blake (OFC) / Elizabeth Blake (OFC) / Max Blake (OMC) / Caleb Blake (OMC) / Jacob Murphy (OMC)

Characters Mentioned: Lincoln / Raven Reyes / Alex Wilder (OMC) / John Murphy

Relationships: Bellamy/Clarke / Octavia/Lincoln / Jessie/OFC (mentioned) / Elizabeth/Jacob

Summary: Clarke is getting her bridesmaids dress altered by the bride's mom. Octavia gives direction for the dress to show Clarke's curves, little does she know Clarke's going to have another curve besides her love handles.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot / AU: Mum switch: Aurora alive, Abby deceased

A/N: Honestly, What is wrong with me? Anyway, here's another story because I can't seem to work on the one's I already have. The summary is terrible. I'd like to think this story is ok, please review. Please, _Please_ , _PLEASE_!

(Pictures listed in order of appearance)

(spaces in between must be deleted to get to the URL)

Picture of Bridesmaids dress: g o o . g l /mK4j9u

Picture of Wedding dress: g o o . g l /Zdyp5d

Picture of Ring: g o o . g l /7WTWZP

* * *

Clarke was so happy for her best friend when she announced that she got engaged. However, due to her fiancé being Military, they would be getting married 3 days after he got back from his final tour. That gave them roughly a year to plan their wedding. 'Them' isn't even Octavia and Lincoln, 'them' is Clarke and Octavia. And they had almost everything set within months.

There were 5 months left. Then it was wedding time. Most things were set in stone. Now there was just the little alterations. Literally. Dress alterations had to be made.

* * *

Clarke was laying in bed going over her list in her little wedding planner Octavia had given as a "gift". It was night, so she was using her "clip-onto-book light". But a hand came from her left and accidently hit her in the face, knocking her glasses out of place and making her "messy bun" actually messy.

"Bellamy!"

"Baaaaaaaabe!" he whined.

"You just hit me in the face you dick! Apologize!"

He sighed in frustration, with a dash of over-dramatization, and propped himself up on his elbows. Blankets cascading down his naked chest, damn he was distracting.

"I'm sorry for hitting you in your perfect face, now turn off the light and go to sleep. It's almost one in the morning."

And with his final sentence, she had thrown the planner and jumped out of bed, running to the bathroom to throw up. He had gotten up seconds after her to follow, now she was emptying her stomach contents into the bowl while he held her hair. He blinked and it was suddenly four am. His poor princess was sick beyond belief and there was nothing he could do about it.

"It's probably just food poisoning, I'll be fine." She protested when he wanted to stay home from work to take care of her. But like clockwork, she was in that bathroom throwing up; every night at one in the morning, for the next 6 days. She called the doctor on the seventh day.

"I've been home from work for the past week, I have to throw up like clockwork. Every day at one and ending at like four or five."

"Alright", the nurse typed the information into her laptop. Pulling out the blood pressure cuff and putting in her stethoscope. She started pumping. "When was your last menstrual cycle mam?"

"Oh, um probably...over three months ago..."

"M'am. M'am! Your blood pressure is rising, please calm yourself."

"Over three months..." she muttered, ignoring the nurse. She thought she just put on a few pounds after she got too busy for the gym.

She got a blood draw to check, but on her way home, she stopped by the pharmacy. Quickly purchasing three tests and a gallon jug of juice. She chugged the juice on the way home. Rushed to take the tests before Bellamy got off work. The two minutes of waiting felt like an eternity. When the timer dinged, she shook those tests. " _these aren't etch-a-scetch's_ " she thought to herself. Three positives. It's hard to get that if you aren't pregnant. Her phone rang moments later.

"Um...yes? I mean- Hello?" She was still in a state of shock.

" _Hi, yes, this is Arkadia Research-_ "

"Yeah, I'll call you back Raven."

" _What? No. Is this Clarke-_ " She hung up.

She was pregnant. She was snapped out of it when Octavia's ringtone blasted "Lips are Movin" by Megan Trainor.

"Yeah, O, what's up?"

"Dress alterations? in an hour? You didn't forget, did you? Because I'm on my way to pick you up." _Shit_

"Uh...No, ETA here?"

"Five seconds ago." _Shit Fuck_

"Great, be down in a minute." She was not prepared. No makeup on, her hair only thrown into a terrible bun, and she was wearing a pair of her boyfriend's sweatpants with a tight T-shirt from Aeropostale. _God, this isn't going to fit in a month_ , she thought to herself, _It barely fits now...No Clarke, we don't have time for this right now_. She grabbed the dress and threw her makeup bag in her purse along with all the pregnancy tests (back in their boxes) so Bellamy doesn't find out yet. She'll tell him when she gets home. Speak of the devil. Just as she was heading for the door, he walked in.

"Hey, babe." He kissed her cheek, noticing the dress in her hand. "Woah, where are you going? Aren't you sick?"

"Nope, we'll talk when I get home. Now, I have to go meet your mom", _and tell her I'm pregnant the first time I meet her_ , "and have my dress altered." She kissed his cheek before shutting the door. He stood there confused when the door opened. "The concrete is cold on my bare feet, thought I should get some shoes."

She grabbed her dirty, old, white converse, and shut the door again. He stood in the same place, still confused.

* * *

They were on the freeway, Oldies playlist blasting.

"You got gum?"

"Huh? Yeah, probably." She opened her purse, pregnancy tests staring at her. Her phone lit up, Bellamy's face popping up on the screen. Frowning, she tossed the package of gum at Octavia (not very smart since she was driving, a bit alarming) and turned off her phone. She just wanted a couple hours to ignore this.

* * *

Miller was lounging on the couch with a beer as he watched his friend pace in front of him.

"I don't get it. She's been really weird lately, not even just the past week (although she's been super weird this week). No, she's been weird ever since O told her about the-" he stopped abruptly.

"Dude...?"

"Fuck. She's been weird since O told her about the engagement." He looked at Miller, whose face said, " _Dude, what the hell are you talking about?_ "

He put his head in his palms, running his hands down his face before pushing his fingers through his unruly hair. "Do you think she expects a proposal or something? I mean We've been together for what? Almost two years? How long are people together before they get married? Usually?"

His best friend shrugs. "I have no idea. I may be gay, but I'm not that kind of gay. I don't know how girls think. Just talk to her, where is she?"

"With my sister, at my mom's house, why?" he said offhand, opening his phone to check his missed calls. Nate almost choking out his beer and sitting straight up brought his attention back to the conversation.

"She's meeting your mother for the first time..." Bellamy slowly nodded his head, not understanding. "Without you..."

Something clicked. "Oh god."

He went for his jacket by the door, then back to the living room for his forgotten keys, when his phone rang. **ARC** lit up on the screen, so he answered.

" _Hello. This is Arkadia Research Center. Are you_ **Bellamy Blake** _, Emergency contact of_ **Clarke Griffin** _? Press 1 or say yes. Press 2 or say no._ " the robot asked

"Yes."

" _Connecting._ "

" _Hello, this is Arkadia Research Center. Bellamy Blake?_ " The lady asked.

"Yeah, that's me."

" _We are having a difficult time reaching Ms. Griffin and would just like to get her lab results back to her._ "

"Lab results?"

" _Results from her blood draw._ "

"Uh, ok. What are the...results?"

" _Her test_ did _come back positive._ _She has high levels of HcGH_ _in her blood stream. Dr. Jackson recommends she schedule an appointment with her OB/GYN and get an ultrasound as soon as possible._ "

"Uh...Ok, I'll let her know. Thanks." He then whispered to Miller, " _Look up HcGH, what is it?_."

" _Alright, you're welcome. Have a good day sir._ " He heard the click of the line disconnecting before he moved his phone from his ear. When he looked up, Nathan's eyes were bulging out of his head and had his lips puckered into a straight line.

"What? What the hell is it?"

"Uh...well...ok...yeah, ok. So, google's definition is 'Human chorionic gonadotropin Hormone (HcGH). Human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone produced by the placenta after implantation. The presence of hCG is detected in positive pregnancy tests.' So... do with that what you will."

Bellamy dropped his phone and keys. It was sounded more like a statement than a question, but it was just barely audible. "She's pregnant?"

He dropped to his knees. _Fuck_ _..._

* * *

Aurora was almost the opposite of what Clarke expected. For starters, she lived in a cute little blue cottage just outside the city. She looked incredibly young, and Clarke could tell this was the Blake sibling's mother. Her kids looked like her, from the piercing hazel eyes to her stature and build. But she was so calm, just being in her presence was relaxing somehow (which is the opposite of how Clarke felt around either of the Blake siblings).

"Octavia, honey it's so good to see you. Again, I'm so happy for you!" She gave her daughter a tight hug. Then looked to Clarke. "And you are...a bridesmaid, I know that. Octavia, honey, you never told me her name."

"I'm Clarke, I do apologize for my appearance, I...uh...just woke up when Octavia picked me up."

"Oh, don't be silly you look great for just waking up. Besides, who cares what you look like here? Other customers?" She joked inviting them in.

* * *

" _Hey, you've reached the voicemail for Clarke Griffin, you know what to do. *BEEP*_ " He hung up. 25 missed calls. He dialed.

" _Hey, hey, hey! You've got O, leave a message and I might call back. *BEEP*_ " he hung up again. Seething with frustration, he threw his phone, making Nate duck so it didn't hit him.

"Calm down dude, did you try and call your mom? Y'know, the place where she is?" He lets out a breath slowly. Grabbing the phone again, he dialed.

" _You've got the Blake residence, either leave a message or call back later. *BEEP*_ " He threw his phone again.

"Why the fuck don't people answer their phones anymore?!" He grabbed his keys and slammed the door.

* * *

Clarke couldn't catch her breath, she was laughing so hard. Octavia was laughing so hard she was snorting. Aurora was sitting on the floor holding her stomach.

She was telling stories about the Blake sibling's childhood. But the main focus was pictures of baby Bellamy.

"Aw, he was so cute!" Octavia mewed. "What the hell happened?"

They all erupted into laughter again. Finally, when they could all breathe, Ms. Blake went into the kitchen and brought out a bottle of champagne and glasses.

"Now it's like a dress shop! Except I won't charge you first month's, and last month's rent, plus utilities." They laughed again. "Now, let's see what we're working with."

Clarke grabbed her glass and went to grab the dress hanging on the shower rod. She dumped her drink while she was at it.

"Nice O." The dress was silver, mermaid style (a skin tight bodice, still tight til about mid thigh when it gets a bit looser). There were 2 sections of gems, and it was a corset back.

"Thank's mom, but in truth, Clarke picked out the dress."

"I like your taste girly. Now, what are we doing with it?" She asked looking at either girl.

"Well, she said it was a bit too loose around the bodice and tightening the corset back doesn't help. And we want that dress tight! Gotta show off all those sexy curves!" Octavia looked over the blonde after her statement, "...that you can't see right now because she's wearing Bell's sweatpants. Why are you wearing his sweats?"

"Like I said, I had just woken up when you got to mine."

"Why do you have his sweatpants in the first place?" She turned, now Ms. Blake was asking questions. But like usual, Octavia answered for her.

"OH! How could I forget, this is Bell's girlfriend of almost 2 years." She looked at Clarke with squinted eyes, like she was sizing her up.

"Of course!" Her face was back to all smile and positivity, "I thought I had heard the name Clarke before today!" She hugged the blonde with so much force it knocked the wind out of her. "Alright, let's get you lookin' all pretty."

Clarke put on the dress in the bathroom, stopping to stare in the mirror before she went out. She put a hand on her stomach. _I'm gonna get so fat..._

Octavia pounded on the door, "You good Boo? Need help with the ties or something?"

She opened the door with a smile on her face. "Nope, I'm okay."

Aurora worked on the dress for a while before they took a break.

"Uh...Octavia, can you go get my phone charger, I left it in the car."

"Yeah, okay." The second the door was shut Clarke's face fell, sadness, she was on the verge of tears when Aurora came back in from the kitchen.

"Honey!" She set down the drinks and grabbed both sides of Clarke's face. "What's wrong sweetie?"

Tears fell down her cheeks. "I can wear this dress..."

"What are you talking about Babygirl, you look amazing in that dress."

Now she was full on crying. Aurora hugged her tight, allowing her just let it out. Octavia opened the door, seeing the scene before, she caught her mom's eye. The elder, motioning for her to stay outside. Once Clarke calmed down a little bit, she got her some water.

"Come on sweetie, tell me what's wrong."

"Oh god." She wiped under her eyes and waved her hands, trying to hold back the fresh tears. "Oh, god." Not aware of her actions, her hand went to her stomach. "I haven't even told Bellamy." She huffed a dry laugh, letting tears fall. She looked at the mama Blake, she was staring right back at the blonde. In typical mom fashion, she was trying to figure what was wrong and how she could fix it. One more deep breath and Clarke could form sentences like a human. "I...uh...This morning... I uh... I found out..." _God this is so hard_ "This morning I found out I'm pregnant."

Mama Blake looked surprised. Shocked was a better description. She clearly didn't expect that. "I-" She was interrupted by the front door swinging open. "Octavia I told you-"

But Octavia wasn't the one standing in the doorway. It was Bellamy, dripping wet. Clarke moved her gaze from him to out the window, how did she not notice it had started raining?

"Bell!" Aurora jumped over to her son, pulling him in. "Wait here, let me get you a couple towels."

The silence was deafening between the two. The only other time this had happened was before they started dating, in fact, they were fighting about Lincoln.

Clarke thought Octavia was a grown up who is allowed to make her own decisions. Bellamy disagreed, she wasn't even twenty yet, still a child in his eyes, incapable of making good decisions. Truth be told, no one will ever be good enough for his little sister no matter how much he likes the guy.

But even then, there were glares and dirty looks. Now? Nothing. His eyes were focused on the ground.

Aurora came back out with a towel but told him to go take a hot shower. He looked at the blonde once before going down the hall, and the hurt in his eyes was exponential.

* * *

After he got out of the shower he found his sweats on the floor _she must've worn them here_. He put them on and exited the bathroom. Drying his hair with the towel while he walked down the hall. He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard whispering in the living room.

" _D_ _id he seem mad at her?"_

 _"More like...hurt."_

 _"How the fuck can he be hurt? You know who's hurt? Clarke. Right now she feels alone in this. She feels like he isn't going to want to be there."_

 _How could she think that? I'd do anything for her._

 _"Where is she anyway?"_

 _"She took my car. Said she was going to grab a couple things so she could stay with me for a while."_

He walked out into the living room to find Aurora and Octavia huddled close together. He cleared his throat.

"Oh jeez, scared me half to death big brother."

"Where'd she go?" He was testing to see if they would lie to him.

"Home."

He didn't even wait another second. He just went straight out the door, into the pouring rain without a shirt, to get into his car and drive home.

* * *

After he got in the shower she broke down into tears again. She was out of the fancy dress, now wearing some of Tavia's pajamas.

"God, he hates me." She was still just bawling.

"No, honey. He's just a dumb shit. He doesn't hate you." Octavia soothed, rubbing circles on her back. Clarke managed to let out one forced "Ha" at her comment.

"I'm so tired, and hungry, and-"

"Pregnant?"

"Yeah." She moped, stuffing her face into a pillow. She grumbled into the pillow, "This is really soft."

"Alright honey, sit up. There we go." The small brunette guiding her to sit up. "Now, here are my car keys. Go to your place and grab a few things, and you can stay at mine tonight. Alright? I'll stay here with my mom. But you need to get some rest, now go." She pushed the blonde out the door.

Clarke turned on the radio. _Maybe some music will help_ , boy, she was wrong.

🎶All by myself! Don't want to live all by myself anymore! Hard to be sure sometimes I feel so insecure and love so distant and obscure🎶

 _Thank's Eric Carmen. You really know how to be comforting._ She shut off the radio and drove to the sound of the rain.

When she got to the apartment, it was dark and silent. It felt so cold and lonely. She tried to ignore it, _just get your shit, then you can leave and cry in the car._ She was grabbing her toiletries when she heard the door open. She peaked out finding him standing by the front door. She turned off the light quickly. _Wow, now he'll never find you, genius._

"Clarke?" Tears stung her eyes ad they formed threatening to fall any second, "Princess, I know you're here. O's car is out front. I wanna talk."

She quietly side stepped out of the bathroom and shuffled forward a little bit, but enough for him to see her.

He could see the tear streaks on her cheek, her eyes were red and puffy, "Princess..."

Tears fell down her cheeks, burning trails into her skin. He moved, wrapping her up in her arms. Whispering honeyed words into her hair. " _It's all okay. It's gonna be okay."_

"You're cold and wet. Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" She mumbled into his bare chest.

"Becuase I was in a rush to get to you." He chuckled. She pulled away, just barely. And looked up at him.

"You said it's all okay. Are we okay?"

He kissed her nose, "We'll always be okay."

* * *

And in all honesty, they were. Bellamy officially moved into her loft, and if she thought he was protective before, she was sorely mistaken. He was constantly hovering and while it was sweet, it got old, fast.

And she was right, she did get fat. She blew up like a balloon. It was two days before the wedding, Bell picked her up (because she couldn't fit behind the wheel) from O's to go to her sonogram appointment. She was good so far, almost 40 weeks and everything was normal. But after putting the wand down and moving it a bit, the ultrasound technician got a look on her face that neither could read.

"What? What's wrong?" Clarke was panicking, something was wrong with her baby.

"Let me just get this to the doctor, she'll be in in a minute." She looked unnerved. The second she left the room Clarke flipped her shit.

"Oh god, what's wrong, what did I do wrong?" She was hyperventilating.

"Calm down princess." He held her hand tight. "You didn't do anything wrong. I promise."

Moments after she had regulated her breathing back to normal, the doctor came in.

"Hello, hello! And how are we feelin' today Mama?"

"Nervous and nauseous. Is there something wrong?"

"No, not at all. You are very healthy."

"And my baby...it's healthy too right?"

"Have we talked about the possibility of multiple births?" She diverted away from the question.

"Y'know I think I'm gonna get through this one, then we'll see where it goes." Dr. Tsing laughed a little at her response.

"Uh, no. Multiple births as in there's more than one baby growing in there." She lightly poked the blonde's stomach. Clarke's eye shot open, leaning forward.

"Are you joking right now? I'm going to have twins?"

"Yes, mam, that is correct. We missed it before because their hearts were in sync with each other, and they were bunched together" She pulled up the ultrasound footage, pointing out the two hearts pulsing. Bellamy fell out his chair.

"Oh god! Bell, are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Mmhmm. Just surprised is all, then again I was surprised you were pregnant in the first place. So I'm double shocked." He forced a small laugh. "I'm going to step outside for a second."

Clarke got the goo cleaned up off of her stomach, still concerned about Bellamy's reaction. Sure she was surprised too, but she didn't ...do whatever the hell he did. She ended up having to wait for him in the car. When he got in, he didn't say a word. But he didn't drive home either. He drove them to the beach instead.

"Bell, honey, I'm tired."

"C'mon, there's something I want to show you."

She sighed and reluctantly getting out of the car. They walked down the beach to a stone path that went out further than the actual beach.

She was staring out at the ocean, taking a sip from her water bottle.

"Clarke?"

She turned around, the bottle still in her mouth, to find the love of her life on one knee. She swallowed and took the water bottle out of her mouth with a pop.

"W...what are...what..."

"Clarke, you are the best thing to ever happen. My life is so much better with you in it, I honestly can't imagine my life without you. Now, I was planning on doing this after O's wedding so she didn't think you were trying to steal her thunder, but, this is something I should've done a long time ago. And I couldn't wait another minute."

He brought out a small black box, popping it open to reveal a silver ring with aquamarine gems crisscrossed with small diamonds.

"Princess, will you make me the happiest (and luckiest) man alive and marry me?"

Tears were falling down her face again, but she was nodding.

"You can't do this a pregnant woman, I'm far too emotional."

He laughed a little, "Is that a yes?"

"Of course it's a yes you idiot. I love you." She pulled him up, giving him a peck on the lips. He pulled out the ring, but it was on a small chain.

"I figured you could get it resized later on." Seeing as her fingers had swelled up a bit due to her being pregnant and such.

"I knew I was marrying you for a reason." She kissed him again, more passionate than before. "Now let's go home, I love you, but my feet hurt from carrying around your kids."

* * *

They decided not to announce their engagement until after the wedding, which wouldn't be long since it was the day of the wedding. Octavia was so beautiful in her white gown. Clarke (being the only bridesmaid) wore a fairly loose dress instead of the sexy tight dress they had originally picked. This one looked more like a sundress. It was a small ceremony. Only family and close friends. But the reception had everyone.

Clarke was watching Bellamy dance with Octavia. It was picture perfect.

Unfortunately, she didn't get to see the whole thing. The babies really liked the step on her bladder. However the second she stepped foot into the bathroom, it came pouring out. Her water broke. She was in excruciating pain for a minute before she went to find him. He was standing with Lincoln and some friends when she waddled up to him.

"Yeah it was- Damn Clarke, Bellamy wasn't kidding when he said you were huge", Miller commented when she took a spot next to Bellamy. Clarke shot a glare at both of them.

"Thanks." She said flatly. Grabbing Bell's arm. "C'mere."

"Am I in trouble for saying you were huge?" He asked after she pulled him aside.

"No." She paused. "Maybe. Regardless, you havin' fun?"

"Yeah, it's actually-"

"That's great! You prepared to have a lot more fun?" He gave her a quizzical look. "My water just broke."

Instant panic was seen on his face. He ran off, leaving her there looking stupid just standing by herself. Her face morphed into one of annoyment. He came back seconds later,

"Sorry, I was telling O we're leaving to go to the hospital." Her tiny bit of anger was gone.

"We need to stop by the apartment first and get the bag. Also, I want Chinese food, so we're getting that." They were walking out the front entrance and getting into his car.

"Do we have time for that?"

"We can't check into the hospital until my contractions are... AH!" One hit her just then. "God Damn! Those fuckin' hurt! Until they're five minutes apart. That was about 20 minutes give or take."

He was still speeding everywhere. Running up to grab the bag. Rushing to her favorite Chinese place. By the time they got their items, her pain was about 7 minutes apart. So he rushed to the hospital next.

She wasn't uncomfortable in the bed, but it's hard to be comfy when you have pain 1000 times more painful than cramps coming at you every 2 minutes.

Labour is painful. The mom's who say "all the pain goes away after you see your baby's face", they're fuckin' liars.

She spent most of her intensive labor screaming, and occasionally yelling, "I HATE YOU!" at her fiancé.

After the first baby was out, she got a breather for maybe a minute. During that time she told him. "You bastard. You did this to me. You _fucking_ did this to me. No sex till their out of the house. I'm gonna mad about this for a while."

Then she had to push again. It was faster, but only slightly, and still "painful as fuck", as she described it.

He was looking at the tiny people, capturing every detail of their faces. He looked back to see if she wanted to see them but found her to be asleep.

"We best not wake up mommy, she's had a long day." He whispered to the sleeping joys in front of him.

* * *

Over the next three months, they both got so little sleep. Him even less than her, only because she would use the excuse "When you push 14 pounds worth of human out of your genitals, then I'll wake up at 2 in the morning. Until then, it's your job."

Peace had become little things. Hour naps, quiet to read a book, getting to show any affection towards each other. It seemed every time the two kissed or even touched, one of the babies would start screaming or crying.

Finally, they got a night off when Octavia offered to watch the kids.

"I owe you so much for this, thank you O."

"Yeah yeah, I know, I'm great. Just get married soon so you can be my sister-in-law and I can say 'I'm watching my sister's kids' instead of 'my best friend's kids'"

The blonde laughed at the pushy brunette. "Could just say you're watching your nieces or you brother's kids, but I digress. Talk to your brother about the wedding stuff, he never wants to talk about that when we get alone time."

"Why not?" Clarke raised her eyebrows at her not audibly saying ' _C'mon, you know why_ '. "Oh. Oh! Ew! Didn't need to know, I'll talk to him, go away before the image is seared into my brain."

The blonde handed off her little girls. She told them, "Be good." But she was thinking _They aren't gonna be good..._ as she walked away.

* * *

Clarke was putting on her makeup while Bellamy was buttoning up his shirt.

"I'm glad we finally get a night off." He commented offhand.

"Uh, yeah me too." She came out in a tight red dress, stilettos to match. Hair still in a messy bun, and only half of her makeup done.

"Honey, I so fucking tired. Can we stay home?"

He let out a sigh of relief and fell backward on the bed. "Oh thank god." His shirt fell open, after giving him a look, "Pretending to button it. I hoped one of us would speak up." Translation = he was waiting for her to say something so he didn't seem like a buzzkill if she actually wanted to go out.

After wiping off her makeup, she just slipped off the straps and laid down next to him. "Too tired to even zip it up."

Now they were both lying on their backs on the bed. Her dress pulled down to her waist, bra showing. He turned his head to look at her.

"You're so beautiful."

"Shut up. I'm gross."

He sat up looking at her. She looked back at him but remained on her back on the bed.

"You are still as beautiful as the day I met you. Actually, no. You're even more so now."

She grabbed the pillow behind her and smacked him before putting it over her head.

" _Shut the fuck up_." She mumbled.

He pulled the pillow away from her face. "Why do you think you're gross?"

She shrugged and poked her stomach. "I don't know, I'm all stretch-marky and chubby."

"You just had kids! Plural!" she still shrugs. "So you have some baby weight and stretch marks, those are just proof you had an actual human growing inside of you. You actually had _two_ humans growing inside you!"

He bent over her and started poking her stomach, making her laugh.

"You're incredible and I love you."

"I love you too, Bell." He lowered his head to kiss her.

It was the most affection they'd shown each other in over three months.

He slowly moved his hands, away from their position of cradling her face, down to her hips. Squeezing gently. Massaging his thumbs into her hips.

She grabbed the sides of his face, he pulled back to look at her. She was smiling and he was smiling right back at her. She slowly pulled his face down to kiss him again but moved to the side at the last second and licked the side of his face. He laughed, burying his face in his the crook of her neck. The vibrations from his mouth causing her to laugh.

They dissolved into fits of laughter. After a few minutes, they stopped and looked at each other again.

"Alright. Octavia has the kids until tomorrow at 1:30?"

"Yup."

"Whatever shall we do with our time?" He asked, his signature smirk creeping onto his face.

"Hmm, no ideas comin' to mind," she said with a sarcastic smile on hers. "But I have a feeling you have a few."

"You know me so well." She hummed in agreement as he placed his lips over hers again. Only to come back up, "Alright, I'm gonna go make dinner."

He kissed her forehead, got up, and walked out of the room. She propped herself up on her elbows, laughing at the door.

After she got changed into his sweats and an undershirt, she walked out to find him in the kitchen making food.

"Mmm, I'm glad you can cook, otherwise our kids are going to be raised on take-out." She joked. Clarke's cooking skills were limited. Her signature dishes consisted of grilled cheese, tomato soup, spaghetti, pancakes, waffles, and toast. She wasn't even trusted to make those little mac'n'cheese cups anymore, not after she set her microwave on fire because she forgot to add water.

"Well, that just can't be healthy. How on earth did you survive until you met me?"

"I ask myself that every day. Then I remember O made me eat "healthy take-out" when she lived with me, so..." He laughed at her, putting noodles in a bowl.

"What can possibly be considered "healthy take-out"?"

"Anything, as long as you get a salad with it." He laughed at her again. Kissing the top of her head before handing her a bowl and sitting down on the couch. They watched TV for a few minutes before she spoke up. "We're having sex after we eat, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Definitely." He answered before stuffing his mouth again.

They finished eating but had ended up starting a movie on accident. So they waited for it to end. By the time the credits rolled, both parents were passed out on the couch. Clarke curled against his chest, while he rested his head on top of hers.

And that's exactly how Octavia found them the next day at 1:30. She unlocked the door and strolled in.

"We're ho-" she noticed them fast asleep on the couch and turned to each baby in her arms, "I think we're gonna let mommy and daddy catch up on some sleep."

After leaving a note on the coffee table, she walked back out to her car and drove off to find her husband.

* * *

Clarke woke up by falling off the couch. Well, actually, Bellamy pushed her off in his sleep. Not a pleasant way to be woken up, but effective. She rubbed the back of her head and stood up to take in her surroundings. Bellamy was still asleep on the couch, she smiled lovingly at him, then proceeded to push him off.

"Ow..." He groaned

"Oh jeez, are you okay? You just fell off the couch." She moved to help him up, but she couldn't get the smile off her face.

"Uh huh. 'Fell'. Okay." He checked his watched. "Oh My God! It's 6:15! We're so late!"

He tried to stand up quickly, causing him to slam his shoulder on the edge of the table, a note falling into his lap.

 ** _Saw you two were actually  
_ _getting some real sleep  
_ _for once, anyway took the  
_ _kids again, catch up on some  
_ _more sleep dude. Can't have  
_ _you ruining my nieces b/c  
_ _you're sleep deprived.  
_ _We'll be back again tomorrow  
_ _at 12 b/c I have work.  
\- Love, Auntie O  
(I really love the sound of that)_**

"Crisis averted, O kept them another night. Thought we should catch up on more sleep." He looked up to find Clarke asleep on the couch again. He smiled and picked her up, carrying her to the bedroom so she could get a proper night's sleep. Her mouth curved into a small smile and her head curled into his chest.

After placing her bed with the covers pulled up, he went to move away, but she grabbed his hand and made a sound he could only describe as a whimper. So he got in next to her. She immediately curled into his chest, hugging his waist and tangling her legs with his. He kissed the top of her head and smiled looking down at his princess.

 _I could never want anything more than to end each day like this..._

* * *

"O I don't want to have this conversation again. We haven't had time."

"Yeah yeah, your exact words last time were 'It's never the right time'. But no, I refuse that, it's been four years. You've been engaged for 4 god damn years. She wants to get married already dumbass." He stared at her incredulously.

"My kids are _right_ there, please watch your language." She huffed a laugh.

"Bell, Lizzy's first word was fuck. And Jess called you a bitch almost as soon as she could talk. They're fine, now, stop changing the subject." He rolled his eyes and looked back at his girls. They were playing in the shallow end of the pool in their backyard.

About 2 years back, Jessie got really sick and wouldn't stop crying and screaming. They had so many noise complaints. Soon after, Bellamy got a promotion (making him Lieutenant) and a raise so they decided it was best to find a house. They found the perfect one almost instantly and moved in asap. It was a nice neighborhood, there were other kids, the elementary school was a few blocks away so they could either drop them off or walk them there when they were old enough. For now, daycare was enough.

"I told you-"

"You don't want to have this conversation, I know, but you need to. And She's not going to bring it up because she doesn't want you to think she's unhappy." He snapped his gaze to his sister. "She is. Calm down. I just know she wants to."

"Oh you "just know", great." He laughs at her lack of evidence. They were happy.

"I mean, I know because she straight up told me, but whatever." His laughter ceases as she got up and went inside to find her husband and son.

He eye's the blonde sitting on the edge of the pool, her shorts were dotted with damp spots and her legs were in the water, her hair was up in a tight ponytail and her sunglasses were being used as more of a headband than actual sunglasses. The little girls splashed her, causing her to take off the cover-up shirt and her denim shorts, jumping in to chase them. They laughed and tried to swim away, splashing her more in the process. He smiles at them, getting up to find his sister.

He didn't have to look far, she was just in the kitchen raiding his fridge. She didn't even acknowledge his presence, just held out a beer for him. Once she got herself one, she shut the fridge and popped the cap off her beer by slamming it against the edge of the counter. She ignored the glare he gave her, he told her before, " _You're gonna ruin my god damn counters and when you do, I'm making you pay to replace them_."

"Fine. Talk to me about Wedding stuff." She smiled at his concession.

* * *

"Clarke, calm down. It's not that big of a deal."

"Why the hell would you tell him I said that?!"

"It's not like I told him you were unhappy with your guys' sex life, jeezus chill."

 _I am definitely not unhappy with **that**_ she smirked to herself.

"Still, it's not something I want to...like...pressure him about..."

Octavia's face got annoyed. "BITCH! I'll tell you the same thing I told him. It's been _four_ fucking _years_!"

"Yeah, you're right." She continued to put away the twin's folded laundry, they were downstairs with their uncle, cousin, and dad. "And he actually said he wants to soon?"

"Yes. His exact words were, 'Alright. Fine O, you win. It's been too long, I want to be able to call her my fucking wife already. Hell, I already do'-"

"Part of the reason I got upset and told you about it..." She mumbled

"'But fine, I'll talk to her about it tonight after dinner.' So, you're good."

"Alright. Fine." she paused, putting away the last bit of laundry. "I bet you $10 he starts off with 'why didn't you tell me you were unhappy?'"

They both laugh, "C'mon he's got more sense than that. I'll raise the bet to $20 that he doesn't."

"You're on Wilder." They continue laughing down the stairs talking about how immature their boys were. And to no surprise when they came down the stair, they found all five of them watching Spongebob. Well, actually the two grown men were watching it, and laughing their asses off, while the two girls ignored it and started to dress up their cousin in clothes from the "dress-up chest".

"Aw, my poor baby. Being forced to wear a dress. This brings back memories of when Bell let me dress him up when we were kids." The blonde laughed at her observation, not knowing she snatched the attention of the man in question.

"You have to show me pictures." She insisted as they walked into the kitchen.

* * *

After dinner is over, Lincoln and Octavia notice all three of the kids looking drowsy. So they grab Alex and say their good-byes. Soon after Bellamy scoops both girls up and throws them over his shoulders and carries them upstairs. Grateful all three of the kids had changed into pajamas before eating. He sets Jessie down in the lower bed and Elizabeth in the upper one. (There is one bed sticking out from the frame, with six drawers to the left of the head, then three steps up (the steps are also drawers) to the left of the drawers and there is another bed against the wall. Together it makes kind of a weird L shape.) They are already asleep by the time he sets them down. Clarke turned on the girl's star projector/noise machine before shutting the door and following him downstairs.

He opened a beer(knowing he'll only get a few sips before she steals it) and cuddled up to her on the couch, turning on You're the Worst. The episode is almost over by the time Octavia owes Clarke money.

"Why didn't you tell me you were unhappy?" _I_ _should get more for getting his **exact** answer._

"Probably because I'm not unhappy? What the hell would ever make you say that?" She already knew, but wanted to make sure it was just O.

"Octavia said you told her you were unhappy because we still aren't married..." She got up from leaning into his chest to look him in the eyes.

"I told her I was _slightly_ annoyed we weren't. But I know we haven't really had the time," _or the money_ , "so I got over it. Really. I'm fine." He stood up, minutely raising his voice at her comment.

"But I don't want you to be fine, I want you to be happy constantly. I don't want to ever upset you. And if something upsets you, even _slightly_ , I want to fix it."

"Bell..." She stood on the couch, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Honey, _you_ are all I need. Whether I am your girlfriend, or fiancé, or wife, all I need is _you_."

"I love you so much, Princess." He kissed her, "However, as Octavia pointed out, it _has_ been four years and I would like to officially call you my wife."

"Whatever you want babe." She kissed him on the forehead.

* * *

"Octavia, why the hell do we listen to _anything_ you say?" Clarke was sitting on the steps of the twins bed, hold her head in her hands.

"Because I'm always right and I'm super smart?" She stated like it was common knowledge. "You said you needed something, what is it? I had to leave Alex alone with Bell and your daughters, who knows how they'll corrupt him."

"My kids are _perfect_ , don't even try. Besides they're going to an Ice cream social for new students at the elementary school, how much trouble could they get in?"

"Fine. Still, what did you need?"

"I'm flipping my shit. I woke up this morning and just stopped and thought to myself "I don't want a wedding." And-"

"I'm sorry, what?!"

"It takes so much planning and I don't want to dress shopping and...babe, I love you but, you turned into a Bridezilla and I don't want to do that..."

"Oh...This is supersolvable. I'll plan everything if you want, and you already have a dress so you're good."

"What are you talking about? Look, I know I was married before but that was like an "I got married in Vegas to my best friend because we were shit-faced" marriage..."

"No! What?! We are definitely talking about that later, but no. The bridesmaids dress we had originally picked for my wedding. It looks like a wedding dress, you already have it, simple solution."

"I'd need to have it altered again...Didn't really get it finished last time..."

"My mom can do it. Clarke, you overthink everything."

"She has been missing the girls..."

"Then take them with you, look it's all gonna work out babe. Just relax."

"Alright...You're right, I'm just over thinking it."

"Yup, I know I'm right. We'll go over to my mom's next weekend, ok? Just don't get pregnant again." She joked.

"Easy enough." She laughed lightly.

* * *

The next weekend the girls were both asleep in the back of Octavia's SUV while Clarke rode shotgun, holding her dress.

"Why am I nervous? I love your mom."

"I don't know, Clarke. Overthinking tends to bring out anxiety in everything."

"Yeah, you're right. You're right. I'm sure it's nothing." It wasn't nothing. She was going to Aurora's, her future mother-in-law, and her period was late. Again.

Clarke looked behind her to make sure the kids were asleep. "Hey O, can we stop at a gas station or something?"

"Um, I guess. Why?"

"I'm sure it's nothing again, just checking something." Octavia eyed her suspiciously before pulling into the next gas station they passed. Clarke nearly fell out of the car trying to get out so fast.

She ran in and bought a pregnancy test and a half liter of Mt. Dew. Chugging it before running back out to the car.

"Alright, let's go." Octavia looked her over again.

"You sure you're good?"

"I'll let you know." The brunette knew she wasn't going to get anything out of her. So she stuffed it down, trusting her best friend would tell her if something was wrong.

They pulled up to the house about half an hour later. Clarke was bouncing she had to pee so much.

"Grandma!"  
"Nana!"

"Hi, babies!" Aurora bent down, hugging both kids tight.

"Hey Aurora, lovely to see you again. Super sorry, but I have to use the bathroom." The blonde was rushing through her words.

"Of course dear, you know where it is." She ran through the house, locking the door after she was in. She broke the box and pulled the test out before sitting down.

Now it was another waiting game. _I fucking hate this. Hated it last time, hate it this time._

Octavia knocked around the same time her timer went off.

"Clarke. C'mon, what the hell is going on? Are you _positive_ you are ok."

She stared at the test. Mumbling to herself, "Oh, I'm positive alright."

"Uh, O..." She opened the door slowly. The small girl noticing the stick automatically.

"You're fucking joking...god dammit woman. I gave you one instruction, _one!_ "

"Yes, because I tried so hard for this."

"I don't know what the hell you two do...in your free time." They were having a hushed screaming match, not wanting the kids or their grandma to hear.

"Yeah, well we didn't try for _this_." She showed the positive.

"Whatever, we'll make it work. You call him _right now_. I'm not having another episode like last time."

"It might be a false positive..."

"I don't _fucking_ care. You call him and tell him. I'm not going through the whole "She was hiding it from me" bullshit again. Just...Fuck, I don't know. Tell him you took the test and it came out positive but you're not absolutely sure on it."

"I-" She took the stick out of the blonde's hand.

 ***SNAPCHAT***

 _ **Octavia  
**_ *picture of positive pregnancy test*  
 _Your fiance thinks she's pregnant again. Stay off her dammit._

"There, taken care of." She shoved both the dress and stick back at her. "Now put this on, and come get fitted. You're fucking getting married." She started stomping down the hall, mumbling, "I'll do it myself if I have to."

She shut the door again to get dressed.

Octavia went out to the living room, finding the girls and her mother sitting on the floor. They were showing her their dolls.

 ***RING*  
** Bellamy's face popped up on her screen, she excused herself onto the back patio.

"What's up big brother?"

" _What the fuck was that?! You can't just send that kind of thing to me and not go into further detail!_ "

"Well, there are no details. She guzzled some Mt. Dew, took the test, it came out positive. There are your details. Happy?"

" _No!_ " She heavy sighed

"Jeezus fuck, I don't know what you want me to do? Draw her blood here and drive it over to a lab to have it tested." He was silent. "That was sarcasm!"

" _I know that! I just...fuck..._ "

"No, that's what got you into the mess in the first place." She can practically hear his eyes rolling. "Look, she was flipping on how to tell you. I did it. Talk about it later. Now, I must go watch future wife get fitted for her dress and babysit your kids."

" _O_ -" She hung up before he could protest further.

Walking back in, Clarke was standing in the dress. She looked beautiful. And her kid's agreed.

"You look so pretty, mommy!"  
"Like a princess!"

They both laughed at the latter comment.

The dress alterations went by pretty quick, and after they all just sat around and talked. Watched Liz and Jess tire themselves out running around the backyard. The day, overall, was pretty good. Luckily on the way back into town, the kids were fast asleep again.

"What if I am pregnant again?"

"I believe you'll have another child, correct me if I'm wrong." She was always so smug. "In all seriousness, though, do you want another kid? I mean I only have Alex, those two must be a handful. You think you can work another baby in there?"

Images came into her head of a big happy family. A smile made its way onto her face.

"Yeah, I think we can manage it."

* * *

Their ceremony was nothing fancy. She didn't really need it to be a big thing anyway. She had her closest friends there (the ones she considered to be family), her beautiful daughters, her new in-law's, and she had Bellamy. It was all she needed.

"Clarke...I don't have the words to explain how much I love you. You are the light at the end of a dark tunnel, you are a smile in a wave of frowns, you are the mother of ours kids, you are my everything. I can't remember life without you and I don't think of a time when you won't be there in the future. You are the best thing to ever happen to me and I know we've had our problems in the past, but knowing it ended here I would do it all over again."

She'd be lying if she said a tear didn't escape her eyes.

"Bellamy..." She let out a breathy laugh, wiping under her eyes. She sighed, "I don't even know where to start. You are the love of my life, I can't imagine my life without you. You are incredible, I never would've told you but I've probably been in love with you since we first met. Everyone else would treat me like I would break if they spoke wrong, but you...you told me how it was. You made everything better just by being you because that's what you do. You make me feel whole...like I can do anything. I'll never be able to find the words to tell you how much you mean to me, but I'm going to spend the rest of my life proving it."

She could hear sniffles out in the small crowd that made up her dysfunctional family. She loved them all. She didn't even hear what the minister was saying, but she repeated everything, word for word. Watching him as he followed. She said I do, watching his mouth as he said the same.

"You may now kiss the bride." Bellamy put one hand on her cheek, the other on her waist. Dramatically pulling her into a dip so he could bend down and kiss her. She was laughing as he did, melting into his touch. Their friends and family clapping and cheering, she even heard the kids saying "Ew!"

He pulled back, smiling at her. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." He uprighted her before claiming her mouth again.

Breaking apart when their daughters came up to hug their legs.

"Mommy looks like a princess," Elizabeth noted to her father. He smirked at his wife who was talking to his other little girl.

"Yeah, she does."

* * *

 **12 Years Later**

" _MOOOOOOOM!_ " Clarke sighed, closing her book as Jessie came charging into the room holding her little brother's arm.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Teach him some boundaries, he won't stay out of my stuff."

She looked pointed at her son. "Max Blake, what did you do?"

"I was just looking for her speaker so I could listen to my music-"

"Liar!"

"Jessie! Enough!"

"He was reading my journal!"

"Max, you know that's personal."

"I know, but nobody wants to hang out with me anymore..." He looked down at the ground. Clarke sighed, pressing her head into her hands. She looked back up to her eldest.

"Where's your sister?"

"She should be back soon, she went out with Jacob a couple hours ago..." The blonde shook her head. "...and I'm guessing you didn't know that..."

"No, I did not. Alright, where's you father?"

Her daughter focused her deep blue eyes onto her brother's dark brown ones, exchanging information without speaking.

"What?"

"Dad's...in his study..." The boy hesitated.

Clarke didn't have the energy to deal with any of this, she got up walking down the hall. She heard her husband muttering something through the door before she knocked, entering.

"Help me." She pleaded after shutting the door. Her face fell into one of exhaustion

"What now?" His mouth curved into his signature smirk.

"Oy, Liz stole the car to go hang out with some boy," She saw his jaw twitch at that, "Jess caught Max going through her stuff and Max feels that no one want's to hang out with him anymore."

He got up from behind his desk, wrapping her in his arms. "I'll talk to Max about boundaries, but he probably _should_ be punished."

"I know." She mumbled into his chest.

"Why was Jess freaking out?"

"He was reading her journal and-"

" _Liza is home!_ " Max yelled while running past the door and down the stairs. " _There's a boy here too!_ " He yelled again, running back upstairs and into his room. Probably anticipating his father's rage.

Clarke could feel the muscles in his arms tense.

"You go deal with Max, _I'm_ going to go talk to Elizabeth." He was hesitant, desiring to punch any boy that touched his daughters.

"Fine." She looked up watching the muscles in his jaw twitch. She kissed him, drawing his attention to her face, his features softening. He kissed her again, pulling back rather quickly. "Alright, go deal with...it, while I play bad cop with our son."

She laughed, pecking him on the lips again.

When she walked downstairs she found her 16-year-old sitting on the couch holding her 5-year-old brother, deep in a conversation with some guy. She noticed her mother and her face turned into a smile rather quick.

"Hey, mom!" The girl clearly expected an angry dad, not impassive mom.

"Honey-"

"Mama!" Her baby reached out, jumping off his sister's lap to run towards Clarke.

"Hi, baby."

"Sorry, I took him out to the park. That's why I took the car."

"Jess had an alternative explanation." She looked pointedly at the random guy sitting on the couch.

"Oh! Right. This is Jacob, a friend from school." Clarke picked up her son, resting him on her hip. She held out her hand.

"Hi, Jacob. How exactly do you know each other?"

"Well, I-" He started.

" _Dad! No! Mom said she'd handle it!_ " Jess was clearly protesting. Max came running in, grabbing baby Caleb.

"So...Dad's flippin'..." Bellamy rounded the corner, looking angry. Clarke stepped in front of him.

"I said I'd deal with it-"

"He's Murphy's kid." He growled low. She looked back at the boy, noticing some resemblance. She pushed him around the corner so they could try to talk privately.

"And?" She was trying to whisper.

"And?! His kid isn't going anywhere near my daughter."

"Bell, he's already in the house." She heard a low growling noise but chose to push forward, "Besides, you haven't heard from John in probably over 20 years. He's probably changed."

He looked unconvinced. "His son is not him, they could be polar opposites. Give the kid a chance..." She looked over his shoulder, noticing her three kids.

"You two, go put him down for a nap and stay up there." They ran up the stairs at her tone, Bellamy was scary, but he was nothing compared to Mama Clarke.

"Fine." She looked back at him, his jaw was still clenched. They walked back into the room to find the two hugging, Clarke could tell Bellamy was seconds away from pummeling this teen. She cleared her throat, making their presence known. Both teens released each other, looking over at the parents.

Her daughter looked unphased by the presence of her father, but she swore she saw a glint of fear in Jacob's eye.

Bellamy calmly crossed the room, sitting in a chair. It was silent, the tension could've been cut with a knife. But, Bellamy, of course, spoke up.

"What are your intentions with my daughter?"

"Dad!?"

"What? It's a fair question." He looked back at the boy who swallowed.

"I-uh..." He was nervous, Clarke couldn't help but smile. She knew Bellamy was one of the sweetest people on earth, and it was always funny watching people get scared by him.

Bellamy looked him over, "How old are you?"

"I-uh..." Elizabeth hit him in the stomach, making him spit out an actual answer. "17, sir. 18 in two months."

His jaw clenched again, "I'll refer back to my previous question. What are your intentions with my daughter?"

He swallowed again, looking at Elizabeth before sitting up, trying to seem confident. Clarke leaned back into her chair, crossing her arms and watching with amusement.

"I was going to ask her out, and planned on dating her-"

"She won't be dating until she's 30."

"Dad!?" She stood up. "Mom?! Anything?"

Clarke decided it was probably best to intervene. She stood in front of her husband. "Jacob, why don't you and your parent's come over for dinner tomorrow. I'd like to get to know you better before I allow you to be romantically involved with my daughter."

He nodded furiously. "Absolutely. Anything, mam." She cringed, "Mrs. Blake?" He tried again.

She conceded. "So we'll see you and your parents here tomorrow night?"

He nodded, looking behind her he found the face of an angry father. He took that as his cue to leave.

"Jacob I drove you-" she protested, following him as he went to the door.

"Nope, it's cool El. I'll walk." He looked back into the living area. "Talk to you later." He looked nervous, giving her a quick hug before leaving. Clarke peered out the window, seeing him _run_ down the path.

As soon as she shut the door she turned.

"What was that?!" Her anger directed towards her father.

"I think I handled that pretty well." He looked to Clarke.

"You could've done better," She looked back up to her daughter, "but it went better than it could've."

"God, I hate you. He'll never want to speak to me again!" She stormed off.

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth Blake, you get back here-"

"Honey, let me talk to her."

"I handled that _way_ better than Jess's debacle." She recounted the evening they came home from date-night to find their 15-year-old daughter sitting on top of another girl.

"Fair, but still- you could've handled it better." He huffed mumbling something along the lines of, 'I did fine.'

She rolled her eyes, going upstairs. She knocked on the girl's bedroom door.

" _I don't fucking care what you have to say, dad._ "

"It's mom, and watch your language." The door opened, Jess allowing her passage into the room.

Her daughter had been crying, that was clear.

"Oh, my poor baby..."

"It's gonna be ok, Liz." Her sister commented.

"Shut up Jessie, Dad _like_ _s_ your girlfriend."

"They be gay, I don't know!" She huffed, flopping onto the bed on the opposite side of the room. Obviously, Jessie had been trying to comfort Elizabeth about this for a while now.

The blonde scoffed at her sister's comment, shoving her face further into her pillow.

"You're sister's right Elizabeth." She looked up, mascara smeared down her face and on her pillowcase.

" _Ha, told you_ " was muttered from behind her.

"Your dad will come around. I promise. Call up auntie O, she'll tell you how bad he was." She handed the girl her phone.

She did dial up her aunt on speaker phone.

" _Lizzy?_ _What's up babes?_ "

"Hey, Auntie O, I uh..." Jess stole the phone out of her sister's hand.

"Dad just flipped out on a guy she brought home." Her aunt burst into laughter.

" _And this surprised you?_ "

"No." Elizabeth took the phone back. "I knew he'd be weird about it, but it looked like he was ready to murder Jacob."

" _Aw, poor kid_ _. What'd he do?_ "

"He just kept asking "What are your intentions with my daughter?" and it was _really_ weird. Especially because, like, while he looked like he wanted to kill Jacob, he was super calm about the whole thing. Mad, but calm."

" _Ooh..._ " Clarke grabbed the phone.

"I feel I should mention, this is John Murphy's son; Jacob."

" _No shit! Wow...Lizzy, babe, you might be screwed..._ " She threw herself back into her pillow.

"O!"

" _I know, I know! I'm just messin' with yuh kid. If this_ Jacob _is a good kid, Bell will come around. I promise you, it's_ always _going to be this hard, just prepare for that._ "

The blonde whined into her pillow.

" _Jess, baby, how are thing's with your boo?_ " Jessie took the phone and took it off speakerphone, telling her aunt all about her girlfriend.

Clarke took her focus off the brunette and went back to the sobbing girl.

"Honey, it's gonna work out. I-"

"Ah! What the-" Jess looked alarmed. "Liz, you got a message from Jacob."

Her head popped up a little, voice still meek. "What's it say?"

"'Sorry, your dad kinda scared me. Promise I'll get my shit together for tomorrow. My dad also promises to be on his best behavior. I really want to-' alright, you know, it get's a bit personal. But, you get the gist." She put the phone back to her ear, resuming her conversation.

The small blonde looked at her mom, brown eyes piercing through her. "What'd I tell you, baby?"

She hugged her mom. A knock alarmed all three girls.

" _It's me and Caleb. He want's Liza._ "

" _Lizzy!_ " The toddler sounded like he was crying.

Elizabeth opened the door, letting both of her brothers in. Caleb ran, jumping into her lap and hugging Elizabeth. Max plopped himself down next to her, resting his head on her shoulder, rubbing her arm and back. Jess noticed and told her aunt she'd call back to finish her story, going to sit next to her siblings. Clarke looked at all of her kids.

Max was a miniature version of his father. Elizabeth and Jessie looked practically identical, but Jess was a brunette with blue eyes while Elizabeth was blonde with brown eyes. Little Caleb was special, he had dark blonde curls and blue eyes, but he got everything else from his dad. Each of them had freckles dusted across their faces. She loved her babies. Because no matter how old they were, they'd always be her babies.

Another knock drew her from her thoughts.

" _Am I forgiven? Because I feel I'm missing out on some serious family time right now_." Everyone laughed, he entered slowly. Noticing her tear trails immediately, "I'm so sorry sweetheart..."

"It's fine Dad, you were just being you." He looked like he was unsure if he should be offended or not. They all laughed at him again.

"I'm still sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry..."

"I didn't mean to say that I hate you..."

They all sat in semi-awkward silence, Caleb breaking it by screaming, "Dinner!"

They laughed again, standing up to go downstairs. Everything pretty much went back to normal. Jess sat on the couch, fighting with Max about what to watch and who's turn it was to pick. Elizabeth was sitting in a chair rocking absentmindedly with Caleb falling asleep against her while she ordered pizza.

Clarke stood by the kitchen entrance, Bellamy coming up behind her.

"I think we did a pretty decent job."

"We haven't fucked them up yet."

"There's the positive wife I know and love." He joked, wrapping his hands around her waist, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. She put up her hand.

"We haven't fucked _them_ up yet, let's not add another one to try." He laughed a deep laugh at her, kissing her deeply, hearing all of the kid's protest to their public display.

"I love you so much..." He mumbled against her lips.

"I love you too..." She muttered, reclaiming his lips again.

The kids continued to shout their displeasure at this display but she couldn't find it in her to care. Rolling her eyes, she pulled him away.

"Where we goin'?" He gave her a smug, knowing look.

"Shut up or I'll change my mind." He laughed that deep genuine laugh again.

"Whatever you say, Princess." He kissed her shoulder, following her upstairs.


	8. One Night Stand?

Genre: Romance / Drama / Friendship /

Rated: M

Word Count: 2, 968

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Nova (OFC) / Nathan Miller / Monty Green / Chase (OMC) /

Characters Mentioned: Finn / Raven /

Relationships: Bellamy/Clarke / Bellamy/Nova (OFC) (Broken up) / Clarke/Finn (Broken up) /

Summary: They meet each other in a bar, going through basically the same dilemma. The two spend the night drinking and talking, and eventually end up at his place. When she wakes up the next morning a girl walks into the apartment asking who she is. The blonde makes assumptions and ends up pissed, rushing to get out of there. But he finds her soon after...what happens next? Read the chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot /

A/N: Should I stop writing? Reviews, please.

* * *

A week ago she was happy. She had everything she'd ever wanted. A good job, a great place to live, good friends, and a loving boyfriend. Now? She's sitting alone in a bar after a shitty day at work because her apartment is being fumigated. Why not just stay with her boyfriend? Oh, well, he's had a girlfriend for 2 years now and decided to make her the other woman.

"Hey sexy, what do I have to do to get you to come home with me tonight?" She didn't have it in her to deal with drunk idiots tonight.

"Shove your head up your ass and leave me alone."

He gave her a disgusted look before walking away. "Bitch."

She threw back the rest of her drink, trying to signal the bartender for another one.

"I like a woman who can hold her drinks. I'm Chase, you are?" She threw back her drink again.

"Not interested." Flagging down the bartender again. Chase stalked off.

"Hey-"

"Alright look-!"

"Hey! Calm down, I'm not hitting on you." She looked to her left, finding one of the most attractive people she'd ever seen.

"What a shame. Then why are you here?"

"Making you look unavailable." She gave him a very stage look. "The guys over there," he pointed at a table behind her, "they have a bet on who can pick you up first."

She looked at the table, shuddering. "None of them are going to win."

"I can tell." She scowled at him. "I heard you telling them to fuck off."

"Oh..."

Another douchebag came up behind them. "Hey, sweetcheeks is he your boyfriend or are you here alone."

She wasn't facing him but the attractive stranger saw the distasteful look on her face.

"It's pretty rude to hit on my girlfriend in front of me dude." The douche raised his hands in surrender and backed up.

She looked at him and grinned. "Girlfriend? You haven't even bought me a drink."

He ordered a refill. "So, do I get to know my girlfriend's name or...?"

She gave him a look, "Clarke."

He smiled back at her, "Bellamy."

She let out a small laugh, turning her head forward. "Alright, well what the hell are you doing in a shitty bar like this?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"Well, where else am I supposed to go when the bar I _usually_ go to is occupied by my cheating ex-boyfriend and his friends." She took a long sip.

"Mmmm, I knew I liked you for a reason." She looked back at him, confused. "We seem to be in the same situation."

"The bar you usually go to is occupied by your cheating ex-boyfriend and his friends?"

"Alright, similar situations." They both laugh. "Caught my girlfriend cheating on me on my couch."

Her eyes bulged when she choked on her drink. Coughing she replied, "What?! Who the fuck would cheat on you?" She looked him over, "No one can be that stupid."

He smirked at her. "I'm going to take that as a compliment and buy you another drink."

"Trying to get me drunk?" She asked as the bartender placed the glass in front of her.

"Obviously, why else would I be talking to you? I mean your beautiful, alone, and apparently, your ex is a complete dumbass."

"I'm beautiful?" She laughed, knowing full well she looked like a wreck.

She had to hurry out of her apartment building so they could begin fumigation. Her next stop was Finn's where she found Raven, they all argued for over an hour before the girls decided to dump him. After that she had nowhere, Raven was aware and offered to let her stay for a couple days. So she dropped her stuff at Raven's she hurried out to get drunk.

"You're funny. But thanks for being a kiss-ass. Made my night a lot better." She smiling. Nursing her drink instead of throwing them back now.

They kept talking. She learned about his girlfriend and how he walked in on her fucking his neighbor. He showed her pictures of his sister. She told him her favorite music was anything from the 80's or 90's. He told her how he ditched his friends to come to this dump of a bar and drink _alone._ She told him about her friends ditching on her at work for being a 'slut'. He volunteered to beat on them for her, she laughed and told him she'd think about it.

He learned that she worked at Arkadia General. "Mm, must be smart."

She learned he was working as a teacher at the high school. "Mm, must be patient."

"I'm not gonna lie, it's difficult. Especially the freshmen class, they just think they know everything. One of them told me to 'stop dicking around and get a real job!'" She almost spat out her drink.

"You're joking?"

"Nope. He spent the next month sitting in my class for an hour after school listening to history books on tape." She let out a genuine laugh. "You might want to slow down there."

"Hm?"

"I'm not funny, but you're laughing. You're probably drunk."

"Mm, no. But I should probably stop."

"You need a ride back to your place?"

"My place is getting fumigated." She said offhandedly while flagging down the worker for the check.

"That a line? You trynna come back to mine?" She looked at him with a smug smile.

"You inviting?"

"I'd be a bigger idiot than the cheating ex not to."

"I accept your invitation." She got her card back throwing her wallet in her purse. He smiled at her, paying off his own tab before shuffling her out towards his car.

The drive was mostly silent, the radio played quietly, but Clarke spent most of the time pressing her forehead against the glass watching the lights as they passed.

She followed him into the building, not doing anything but walking behind him. When they stepped into the elevator, she bent over to take off her shoes. But she saw him looking at her ass when she did it. They walked down the hall stopping for him to fumble with his keys.

"So do you like have a roommate or something?"

He finally got the key in and opened the door motioning for her to enter. "I do, but he's over at his boyfriend's place tonight. Wh-"

She broke off his question by attacking his mouth with her own. He automatically responded, gripping her waist. He turned them around, slamming her body into the door to shut it. She ran her hands up his torso going over his shoulders. Her hands running through his hair, trying to pull him into her. She arched forwards, her chest pushing into his. His fingers teased the hem of her too tight shirt. She was reluctant to break apart, but she was also eager to get her restricting top off. She pushed his shoulders back, pulling her shirt over her head in one swift move. He stood still, staring. She walked up to him, swaying her hips with each movement. Her hands went from his shoulders down to his chest down to the hem until he finally got the hint. He yanked it off while she admired the toned abs. Looking back she found him smirking.

"See something you like?"

"Absolutely." She pulled him back down into a deep kiss.

His hands moved from her waist down to her hips down to her ass giving one squeeze before moving to her thighs, she took the hint. He lifted her up allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist. He moved so she was sitting on the counter top, but she didn't drop her legs. In fact, she tightened her grip, pulling him closer. His chuckle was lost in her mouth, hands roaming to her back to unhook her bra. He teased around it, making it seem to get tighter with each passing touch.

She murmured into his mouth, "Either take it off or move on."

"Pushy, Princess." She could feel his smirk, but he undid the bra. Backing up to take it off. "Fucking exquisite..."

Clarke rolled her eyes and dragged him back towards her. He kissed her lips, trailing down her jaw and neck, stopping to suck at her pulse point and the junction where her neck met her shoulders. She tried and failed to hold in her moan, feeling the grin creep across his lips as he continued to bite down on the spot. Moving further down, he reached her breasts, lightly flicking the pink buds with his tongue. She let out another moan, not even trying to hold it in now. He moved back up to her face, swallowing her whine.

He picked her up again, walking down the hall to his bedroom. It took longer than it should've because she kept grinding against him, causing him to push her against the nearest wall. They entered the room, he dropped her onto the bed so he could shut the door. Turning around she could see his predatory grin, he basically pounced on her, causing a bubble of laughter to erupt from her as he kissed down her neck again. He continued down her body, avoiding both of her breasts, kissing and sucking (sure to leave marks) down the middle of her torso. Stopping at her navel, his fingers _slowly_ undid the button to her jean shorts. Causing her to groan in frustration and anticipation. This boy was _teasing_ her so much, she couldn't remember the last time she was this turned on.

Finn never liked foreplay, it was always sex and then sleep. Not much attention paid to her.

But Bellamy? All of his focus was on her. Making her feel _everything_. Every tease, every touch, every movement, every kiss, every thrust.

A man she met hours ago had been able to make her come thrice in one night, while a man she thought she loved for the past year had almost failed to make her come at least once every time they had sex.

She collapsed on his chest, heavy breathing now under control. She felt like she should say something, but words were escaping her. She was still too focused on the intensity of her orgasms.

"You think too loud." She looked at his face, his eyes were closed. She thought he was asleep.

Thoughts still bombarded her. _Do I leave? Is this a one night stand? What if he gets offended that I leave? Does he want me to leave?_

Everything came to a halt when he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her as close as he could.

It only took a few minutes before his warmth and sheer exhaustion took over and pulled her into a deep sleep.

* * *

She woke to the sun assaulting her hungover eyes. His arm was still around her, but his grip was loosened. She stood up from the bed, admiring him. Asleep he looked so at peace. And while he was asleep she could admire his muscles without mockery. She exited the room back to the kitchen, far too lazy to go searching for her clothing, she put on his t-shirt from last night. It was still far too bright. She wandered over to the large window, last night she was a bit too preoccupied to notice how nice his view was.

The sound of the front door opening drew her attention away.

"Who the hell are you?" The tall brunette glared at her. "And what the hell are you doing in my apartment? And why are you wearing my boyfriend's shirt?"

She struggled to form a sentence. But then she got angry.

"Fucking again..." She mumbled. Grabbing her shirt and bra.

She stormed off into his bedroom, turning on the light. She found her shorts as he woke up. She lifted the shirt off.

"Mm, I like where this is going..." She heard him muse. Sending a glare in his direction she pulled her shirt over her head, not even bothering with a bra. She picked up his tee and threw it at his face.

"Asshole." She stomped out of his room. He jumped up, putting sweats on before chasing after her.

"What the hell-" He stopped when he saw Nova sitting on one of the bar stools.

The door slammed, bringing his attention back to the blonde who had run out.

He went to follow her out, Nova questioning him. "Where are you going?"

Bellamy was _instantly_ seething. "I don't know, why are you here? We broke up."

She laughed lightly, "We always fight, but we also always make up."

"You fucking cheated one me!" He yelled at her. "With my god damn _neighbor_. We broke up. This-" He gestured between the two, "is over. There is no getting back together. Ever."

He stomped out the door, hoping to catch her. He ran down the stairs, almost colliding with a couple of teenage girls who blushed noticing his appearance. Bellamy finally reached the ground floor, running out the door he saw a flash of her messed up blonde hair getting into a cab. It drove off, leaving him standing on the sidewalk frustrated.

* * *

"Fucking-" He slammed his hands against the kitchen counter as his friend entered the apartment with his boyfriend.

"What the hell did the counter ever do to you?" He looked up.

"Nova." His friend's face darkened.

"What'd she do this time?"

"Chased a girl out. Came back, claiming we should get back together."

"That's fucked up man..."

"You have _no_ idea, Miller." He noticed the other guy, "Oh, hey Monty."

"Hey. Sorry about whats-her-face." He shrugged.

"It's fine. I-" their conversation was interrupted by his phone ringing.

"Sorry, one second..." He walked away a bit. " _What?...No, Clarke. I can't fill in for you today...No...Alright, I'm sorry. Just go in, we can get drinks tonight, alright?...Ok, bye._ "

He hung up and walked back over.

"Griffin?" Miller asked.

"Naturally. She-"

"Wait, Clarke? Like, small blonde girl. Great tits? Shit boyfriend?"

They gave him a weird look. "Sounds like her..."

"She's the one Nova chased out!" He hung his head in his hands. "Oh my god..."

"Ooh, she's gonna _hate_ you." He glared at Monty. "What? She's gonna think you used her to cheat on your girlfriend. Hence repeating her current dilemma."

He proceeded to bang his head against the cupboards. "Now, _I_ hate me."

"You could just come with us for drinks. Try to explain. But she might just punch you in the face..."

He shrugged, "Gotta try."

* * *

She walked into the shitty bar again. Exhausted from the day. Her hair was in a loose bun on top of her head, loose strands falling over her face. She didn't have the energy or the effort to go back to Raven's and change out of her scrubs.

She sat at the bar, ordering two shots of a shitty tequila she's never heard of.

"Clarke!" She turned her head to find Monty sitting in a booth. She threw back her shots and walked over to him. "Hey." She hugged him. "Hope you don't mind, I invited Nathan and another friend..."

She looked over his shoulder seeing his boyfriend and... _Bellamy_. Her face went steely.

"Y'know what? I think I'm going to go get drunk...alone or something." She turned to leave.

"Clarke, wait!" She heard his voice and got chills, remembering hearing the way he whispered into her ear.

She didn't say anything, but she didn't walk away either.

He walked in front of her.

"Can I please explain?"

"You have five minutes and you have to buy me a drink." He gave a small smile, following her to the bar.

He stared at her while she ordered, strands of hair falling into her face. It took all of his effort to not tuck them behind her ear.

She looked at him, "Alright. Explain."

"Nova is insane." She looked unconvinced. "We _are_ broken up. She _did_ cheat on me. She is just crazy. She came back assuming we would get back together. And I made it clear I did not want to."

She looked skeptical.

"I did not _use_ you. I did not cheat on my girlfriend with you..."

"Alright."

"Alright?"

"I believe you." He looked relieved. "But..."

Worry crossed his face again.

"But?"

"I'm thinking." She walked off. He walked back to the two guys.

"Well?"

"She said she believes me but..."

"But what?"

"I don't know, she walked away and said she was thinking."

"Grovel," Monty said, sipping his drink. They looked at him. "What? You break someone's trust, you grovel." He seemed to be pointedly looking at Miller.

"Grovel. Ok." He walked back to the bar.

She was getting hit on by another drunk idiot.

"C'mon, babe...you know you want to." He looked like he pleading with her.

She wasn't facing him but Bellamy saw the distasteful look on her face.

"It's pretty rude to hit on my girlfriend in front of me dude." The dumbass raised his hands in surrender and backed up.

She looked at him and grinned. "Girlfriend? You haven't even bought me a drink, yet."

He smiled back her. "Alright, so what do I have to do?"

"Mm, prove it. Prove you didn't use me."

He smirked at her. "Oh, this is gonna be fun." He pulled her close. "Lots of fun."


	9. Jus Drein Jus Daun

Genre: Angst / Drama / Hurt/Comfort / Friendship

Rated: T

Word Count: 1,817

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Octavia Blake / Nathan Miller / Bryan / Grounders

Characters Mentioned: Abby Griffin /

Relationships: -

Summary: Bellamy, Clarke, Octavia, Miller, Bryan are taken by a group of grounders. They believe Lexa was weak, and blood must always have blood. They are separated. One of the grounders say something in trigedasleng, and they boys can't understand. After the grounders clear the room Bellamy asks Octavia what they said, she tells him Clarke is basically taking all of it. Every single cut. Panic, anger all that. More of a sad story than a romantic one.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot /

A/N: So...I literally don't know why I wrote this, but I did...and I'm not sure what to do about it...

* * *

Miller and Bellamy were supporting a limping Bryan. Octavia stalked behind them with Clarke trailing the rear. It was sudden. One moment she saw the rover, a sharp pain pierced her neck, then she was on the ground and her vision was black.

Octavia looked behind her when she heard a thump. "Clarke!" She yelled, running over to the girl.

Bellamy glanced over his shoulder, seeing Clarke on the ground with his sister kneeling over her. She was saying something then she was on the ground next to the blonde. Bellamy dropped Bryan's arm from his shoulder going back towards the girls.

"Ah!" He looked back. Miller was on the ground, Bryan trying to wake him. The boy held his neck for a moment before falling forward.

Grounders surrounded them, panic spread through Bellamy. But he didn't have time to worry, no, he was on the ground next. Through his blurred vision he saw grounders picking up the girls and throwing them over their shoulders. Then, black.

He woke up in a strange room. It looked like the subway entrance he found Clarke in the first time. Miller was talking to Bryan, and Octavia was awake just annoyed. But Clarke remained asleep.

A large burly man came in the room. He looked over everyone, walking towards Clarke. He put his hand underneath her chin, jerking her head up. He pulled out a small syringe when she didn't wake up.

"Wait-!" The man shot the green liquid into her neck, letting her head drop. They stared at her, moments later she was gasping for air. Trying to breathe normally.

"Glad yu could join osir, Wanheda." _Glad you could join us, Wanheda._ She translated in her head. Clarke glared at him and he shared a distasteful look with her. Turning his attention to the guys. "Chon laik emo?"

"English." Miller spit out. The man seemed unphased by his tone.

"He asked who you were." Octavia spoke up, still glaring at the floor. She looked up to the man with a nasty glare. "Okteivia kom skaikru, Belomi kom skaikru, Nathan kom skaikru, Bryan kom skaikru."

"Skaikru." He spat, an evil grin working it's way onto his face. "Jus drein jus daun." He paused, looking down at Octavia and Clarke, "Ladies first."

The two were gagged and drug out of the room.

"Hey! Where are you going with them?!" Bellamy was mad, his voice choked.

"Your people must pay for what they have done. Lexa was _weak_. She could not do what needed to be done. Blood must always have blood. Wanheda may be the commander of death, but even she cannot escape it."

He walked out of the room, leaving a deflated Bellamy and a worried Bryan and Miller.

* * *

They were dragged into a room not too far from the makeshift cell.

Octavia was still tied and gagged, they pulled her towards a large wooden pole. Clarke recognized it from the one Finn was tied to. From Raven. From Gustus.

She made noises, muffled by her gag. The burly man from before walked in, noticing her struggle. He walked over and pulled her gag out.

"Do you speak english?" She was desperate.

"What do you want, Wanheda?"

"Leave her alone, she's done nothing wrong." Octavia was giving her a look.

"What do you propose we do instead? Let her go? Give no punishment?"

"No! Look, blood must have blood. I understand. But..." she didn't know what to do. "You can give me hers. I'll take her pain. Leave her be."

The brunette's eyes grew wide, she pulled against her restraints, trying to tell her to stop.

The man grinned at Clarke. He spoke to his guards but didn't break eye contact with her. "Okteivia kom skaikru, teik her back."

Octavia struggled against the two men. Pulling back, trying to scream against her gag.

She thrown back into the makeshift cell. They slammed the door shut behind her.

Bellamy had a worried look on his face. He was no longer tied up, rushing over he undid her bindings and removed her gag.

Checking her over for wounds.

"I'm fine." She croaked. "They didn't touch me."

He looked at her. "Clarke took it. She fucking volunteered." She kept glaring at the door.

* * *

They tied her to the pole, her wrists high above her head.

"Remove her gag." The took the cloth from her mouth. "Her friends must hear this."

She made a face. "Fuk. Yu." She spat at him.

He pulled out a sharp knife. "Yu killed 600 gon ai kru en osir got no retribution. Jus drein jus daun, Wanheda." _You killed over 600 of my people and we got no retribution. Blood must have blood, Wanheda._ He made the first cut along the underside of her right bicep. She let out a strangled cry. He repeated the same motion on her left.

* * *

All of their attentions were drawn to the door as they heard her cries of pain. One after the other. Hours had to have passed when it stopped. Silence rang through the halls. They stared at the door, expecting her to be thrown back in.

A man came in moving to grab Bryan. Another man followed and grabbed the arm of the first.

"Em takes hogeda gon theirs." They both retreat. Shutting the door.

"O, what'd they say?" She stayed silent. "O!"

"She takes all of theirs." She whispers.

"What?"

Another ear piercing scream rang out.

"She takes all of theirs." Octavia repeats, louder. "She takes all 600 cuts so no one else gets hurt."

"She's fucking insane."  
"You're joking..."  
"They'll kill her."

All of the boys speak at once.

Bellamy went and pounded on the door.

"Hey!"

"Bell, what are you doing?" Octavia asked quietly, trying to shove herself into the wall.

Clarke's screams rang out. Bryan tried to bury his head into Miller's shoulder. Bellamy pounded on the door again.

It became silent again. The burly man from before came to the door, pushing it open. It knocked Bellamy onto the floor.

"Okteivia kom skai kru." She stood up, trying to be as serious as she could. But even she was a bit scared. "Follow me."

She did, she doesn't even try to fight against the restraints. Walking through the large doors she see's Clarke tied to the pole. Slash marks all over her body. Her pants have been removed, same with her shirt. The blonde looked like she had passed out, hanging limp in her bloodied underwear.

"Fem needs a fisa. much jus loss!" She yelled at him. He walked over and pushed more of the green liquid into the blonde's neck. She was gasping for air again.

"Yu asked don Okteivia. Yu don only minutes." _You asked for Octavia. You have only minutes._ He told Clarke before retreating with his guards. Leaving the two girls alone.

"Are you insane?" The brunette questioned her. "Their going to end up killing you."

"I don't care..."

"Clarke-!"

"If it keeps you safe then I don't care!" She protested, as much as she could. Wincing as she raised her voice. "No one else is going to hurt."

"Clarke...everyone is still going to get hurt...it's hurting us to hear how my pain you're in..."

The blonde was nodding off again. She couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.

"Hei!" Octavia yelled at the door. The burly man came in and grinned at Clarke's passed out figure.

"Wanheda ste the heda gon wamplei, ba even fem cannot escape et." _Wanheda is the commander of death, but even she cannot escape it._

He jerked his head. The guards took her down off the pole, wrapping her in something. They dragged Octavia back towards the cell, Bellamy looked up to his sister. She was thrown down to the ground again. Bellamy pulled her close to him and the other two. The man did not leave. He held the door open, two men bringing in something wrapped in a dark fabric. Octavia knew what it was. She was choking on her swallowed tears. The left it in the middle of the floor.

"Yu may bants wen fem waiks op." _You may leave when she wakes up_. Shutting the door behind him. Octavia crawled towards the wrapped up figure.

Tears freely flowing down her face. She peeled the fabric, Clarke's slashed pale face is revealed. She looks away, getting up and going to the opposite corner, she empties her stomach contents.

She stays in the corner, gagging until there's nothing but acid.

She turns and looks at them. Bryan has his face buried in Miller's shoulder. Miller is staring at the ground, letting silent tears flow. Bellamy is just staring at her pale figure. He tentatively puts two fingers against her throat. Giving a slight look of relief.

"Is...is she..." Miller can't finish his sentence.

"We _need_ to get her to Abby." Octavia stands up, her face back to it's constant stoic look. They look at her. "She's lost way too much blood, and I'm pretty sure if she we don't get her cuts treated, she's going to bleed out."

Bellamy moved, "Bell, don't-"

He pulled back the fabric, seeing every slash, every cut, every gash. She still has no clothes. The boys looked away while Octavia recovered her.

"Hei, osir need her a fisa. Teik osir bants." _Hey, s_ _he needs a healer. Let us leave._ She shouted out the small window in the door. The man came back, opening the door.

"Our riders will teik yu kom the edge gon polis." _Our riders will take you to the edge of polis._ More men came in, blindfolding them.

Riding a horse blindfolded is hard enough, but doing that while trying to hold onto a girl who's bleeding out is even harder.

They stop. Removing the fabric from their heads. They are back at their Rover. Bellamy gets off the horse and runs over to the one with Clarke and Octavia.

He pulls down the blonde and runs her to the back of the Rover.

"Beware, bilaik ste your future Okteivia kom skaikru, taim yu commit her crimes." _Beware, that is your future Octavia of the sky people, if you commit her crimes._ One of the leaner men says to her before riding off with the other grounders. She jumps into the passenger seat of the rover, looking back to find Bellamy sitting with Clarke. Miller driving and Bryan who's almost forgot how much pain he's in.

Her breathing was unsteady, but she was breathing.

" _C'mon, Princess. I need you to stay with me..._ " She heard her brother whisper. Sharing a concerned look with Miler, he took off back towards Arkadia.


	10. The Price We Pay For Cute Kids

Genre: Family / Romance /

Rated: K+

Word Count: 1,775

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Samantha Blake (OFC) / Alexander Blake (OMC) / Zack (OMC) /

Characters Mentioned: Gabby (OFC) / Alison Blake (OFC) / Octavia Blake /

Relationships: Bellamy/Clarke / Samantha/Zack (Mentioned) / Alexander/Gabby (Mentioned) / Zack/Gabby (Hinted) /

Summary: Bellamy and Clarke are parents and they have some troublesome teens. Need I say more?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot /

A/N: Really not my best work, but I wanted to update.

* * *

"Dad!" Bellamy sat up in bed.

"What?"

"Come here!" His daughter was yelling at him from downstairs.

"What have we said about talking to other people on other floors of the house?" He heard footfalls coming up the stairs.

"Excellent. Where's mom?"

"That's what you wanted to ask?" She gave an incredulous look.

"Just- Where is she?"

"I'm pretty sure she's still at work, why? Do you need something?"

"Ugh!" The miniature blonde stomped away to her room, slamming the door.

The front door squeaked open. "Dad?!"

" _Jeezus..._ " He muttered to himself. "What?" His son walked up to the bedroom door.

"Where's Sam?"

"She just slammed the door to her room."

"Thanks."

A knock came from the room under his.

" _What do you want, Alex?_ "

" _Well hello to you too._ "

" _Not in the mood, jackass._ "

" _I can tell. Here._ "

" _What is this?_ "

" _You might know if you open it._ "

Silence. Then some crinkling.

" _I don't get it?_ "

" _What?_ "

" _Why you're being nice to me...?_ "

" _Jeezus, I'm your brother. Can't I be nice to my little sister?_ "

" _No. What do you want?_ "

" _God! Fine. Can I ask Casey out?_ "

" _Casey?_ "

" _Yeah. Your friend? The one you've known for like three years?_ "

" _I know who Casey is dumbass, why do you want to ask her out? Didn't you just break up with your girlfriend?_ "

" _To go on a date? No, that was like a couple weeks ago._ "

" _Oh. Um, sure. I don't care. But you'll probably get shot down._ "

" _Why do you say that?_ "

" _Well, you're not really her type..._ "

" _So what is her type?_ "

" _Blonde, short, female._ "

" _Oh..._ "

" _Yeah. But thanks for the chips._ " Another door slam.

" _Dammit!_ "

"Language!"

The boy's head poked from behind the wall of the stairs, "Sorry."

"Yeah, sure." He put his book down. "Hey-"

There was a loud knock at the front door. Alex looked at his dad.

"Go answer it, we'll talk after."

He moved away from the door.

" _Mine!_ " Bellamy heard his daughter call as the sounds of running footsteps up the stairs lessened. He stood up, knowing he was not going to get any more reading done.

"What the- Go home...No, I don't want to talk to you."

" _Aw, C'mon babe, I messed up-_ "

"You slept with my brother's girlfriend!"

" _Like I said, I messed up..._ "

"Jeezus, go home Zack."

"Zack?" Alex shot out of his room at the end of the hall.

" _Oh shit...Hey man. How are you?_ "

"Terrific. Just fucking peachy."

 _Language._ Bellamy mentally scolded in his head. Standing at the top of the stairs he was hiding behind the wall, listening to his kids.

"C'mon, man, you're not still mad about _that_ are you?"

"What? How you slept with my drunk girlfriend and cheated on my sister? Yeah, I'm still pretty pissed."

Bellamy heard a car door shut and faint noises of a babbling kid. Clarke was home.

"Um, hi. Who's this?" He could hear his wife sounding unsure and chose that moment to step out.

"Hey, c'mere. Hi, baby!" He took the baby off her hip and pulled her past the kids and into the kitchen.

" _Don't let your brother punch him, he's in enough trouble as is._ " He bent down, whispering into his daughter's ear.

"What was that about?"

"From what I could gather. Kid's name is Zack. Samantha was dating him and he fucked her over by sleeping with Gabby when she was drunk."

"Oy, I knew that girl was trouble."

"I know you did." He pulled a ten out of his wallet handing it to Clarke who tucked it into her bra.

"Wait, Sam was dating someone?"

"Yeah, I didn't know about that." Clarke took the ten out of her bra and handed it back to him.

They heard a thump, and their daughter yelling "Alex! Dammit!" Clarke ran past Bellamy who was still holding a baby.

"Fuckin- Alex! We told you no more fights!"

He stormed out the door. Over the teen holding a bloody nose.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"For a run!" And he took off down the street.

"You. Get off my property before I hurt you too." The kid let out a wry laugh before looking up at her face.

Nothing was really as scary as a mom going after someone who hurt her kids. All the laughter and mocking drained from his face as he pushed himself up and fast walked down the street. Clarke looked down,

"Fuck you! You got blood on my porch!" She pulled Samantha in and slammed the door shut.

The baby on his hip started giggling.

"Our baby enjoys violence, this is what I was hoping to avoid." Bellamy pointed out.

The miniature blond girl grabbed the baby from her dad and tried to walk off.

"Uh uh, Missy. Where do you think you're going?" Her mother stepped in front of her.

"Um...nursery?"

"Nope. Explain."

"Why? Dad already knows everything."

"Wh-" He tried to interject

"I know you were by the stairs. I'm not stupid."

"Tone down the attitude, kid. You lied." His tone was stern.

"About what?!"

"Maybe, I don't know, dating a douchebag? Ring a bell?"

"Oh yeah, that..." Her face fell, cowering while bouncing with her baby sister.

"Why'd your brother hit him?"

"Does he need a reason? He slept with Gabby, cheated on me-" The front door slammed shut again, cutting her off.

"We're gonna need a new door because of all of you!" Clarke pointed out.

"I punched him because he said Sam was easy. Not okay."

"I'm sorry what?" Bellamy looked like he was seething. Clarke put a hand on his shoulder, some of the tension left, but not all of it. Nobody insults his baby girl.

"I'm with him, what?" Sam was confused.

"He told some of his friends at lunch the other day that-" He cut himself off, looking up at his parents. "I'll tell you later, but yeah, that's the basically what he said."

The tall boy still looked angry, but now he was sweaty. The blood on his knuckles drying.

"Alex." Clarke pointed to his hand, meaning for him to wash it.

"I'm fine." She glared at him until he put his hand under running water.

"Well, Sam, you're grounded for two weeks. And, Alex, another two weeks for you." She said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"What?!"  
"Why?!"

"You-" pointing at Samantha, "lied about a boy. And you-" pointing at Alex, "got in another damn fight."

"Mom-" he tried to protest.

"You are lucky I don't make it a month."

He shut his mouth, shuffling down the stairs. His sisters soon following.

"What the hell are we going to do about them?" She turned to her husband, arms still crossed. She snapped her fingers in front of his face, drawing his attention away from her cleavage. "Jeezus, Bell. How old are you?"

He laughed at her, pulling her close by her waist. "Mm, they're just kids, Princess."

"So?"

"You _do_ remember how many guys I got into fights with when I was that age right?"

"That's-"

"Especially over you and Octavia." Her face quirked into a smirk with one eyebrow up.

"Oh yeah? You said you didn't even _like_ me until I graduated."

He grimaced. "Dammit-"

"Yeah." She laughed, pulling him down for a kiss. "Hi, honey."

"Hi. Welcome home from work."

"Mm, thank you." She kissed him again. "They're still grounded."

"One week for Sam. No more for Alex, he still has a week left." She groaned in protest as he kissed his way down her jaw and throat.

"You always make me the bad guy."

"Clarke, they have never taken me seriously. When you left for your conference a couple of years ago, their bedtimes were 11 or 12. We had pizza three nights in a row and Alex didn't shower the entire week."

"That's because you're a pushover." He feigned hurt. "But you're _my_ pushover."

"Ah, how special that makes me feel." She began kissing down his throat now.

"I try." She smiled against his lips. The baby crying broke them apart. Clarke started walking towards the stairs, Bellamy's grip on her hand snapping her back.

"Sam's got it." She raised an eyebrow. "Or Alex. One of them."

"Not what I meant." She laughed into his collar bone.

Bellamy bent slightly, picking her up and gently throwing her over his shoulder, her laughing in surprise.

"What the hell are you doing?" She managed to say through the giggles.

"You look tired." He tossed her onto the bed, unceremoniously.

"Mm, I'm so sure this is about me being tired." She commented as he shut the door, turning the small lock on the knob.

"It is!" He said, insisting his innocence.

"It's hard to believe you when you lock the door and slide your hand up my thigh." He let out a deep chuckled into her throat. Hand still moving up her body, but stopping at her stomach.

He laid next to her, rubbing small patterns into the skin with his fingers. "When do we tell them?"

"I don't know. We usually don't tell them. Someone usually spoils it." She was referring to Octavia coming over and ask for her due date both times she's been pregnant after Alex.

He laughed into her shoulder, "We could just tell her have her come over and ruin it again."

"I'll send her a picture of my sonogram and be like 'Oops, meant to send that the Bell...'" They both laughed again.

"We should just name this one attitude. Nickname Attie." He joked, she fell into another fit of laughter.

"God, they all have such big attitudes, don't they?"

He nodded his head, "Even Alison. And she's barely two!"

"Mm," She nuzzled into his side, "I guess that's the price we pay for cute kids."

"Fair enough."

They stayed quiet for a while. Bellamy making patterns on her stomach, Clarke snuggling into him.

"I love you, Clarke." He looked down at her small form (which would get larger in the next few weeks), her eyes closing.

"Mm, I love you too, Bell..." She mumbled into her shoulder, fading into sleep.

He smiled at her face. When his gaze shifted to her stomach his smile grew even larger. He loved his family.


	11. 2:40 In The Morning

Genre: Friendship /

Rated: K+ (the word Fuck is used)

Word Count: 1,277

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin /

Characters Mentioned: Octavia Blake / Finn Collins / Raven Reyes /

Relationships: Clark/Finn (broken up) (mentioned) / Raven/Finn (broken up) (mentioned) /

Summary: A random conversation Bellamy has with his neighbor at 2:30 in the morning. Except they're both teens. And...yeah...summaries are not my strong suit...

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot /

A/N: I just...I do not know what this is...I got bored and it's 2:15 AM.

* * *

It's late when he gets home. Both O and his mom are asleep. It's probably after two, so he's a bit surprised when he looks out his bedroom window. He see's their neighbor, Clarke, sitting on her bed with her laptop open. The rest of the room is dark, but the white light from her screen illuminates her face. He pulls up his phone and messages her on facebook.

 _ **Today Thursday 2/16**_

 _ **2:38 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
Hey, what are you doing up?_

He watches her move her head toward where she supposedly has her phone, but her eyes stay focused on the screen till the last second. When she looks down at her phone she gives a weird look before glancing towards him. He waves, she gives a pathetic wave back before replying.

 _ **2:40 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Hey, working._

 _ **2:40 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
What work could a 15-year-old girl get done at 2:40 in the morning?_

 _ **2:41 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
School work that I put off_

 _ **2:41 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
*GASP* CLARKE GRIFFIN PROCRASTINATING  
I NEVER THOUGHT I'D SEE THE DAY_

He looks up to his window and see's her grinning at her phone.

 _ **2:42 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
You still haven't  
I got busy  
Now I'm trying to finish_

 _ **2:42 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
Busy with what?_

 _ **2:43 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Stuff_

 _ **2:43 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
Rude, I tell you what I do when I'm 'busy'_

 _ **2:43 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
You're hooking up with girls  
You don't have to tell me  
I already know  
But you still shouldn't tell me  
It's not something I need to know_

She wasn't wrong.

 _ **2:44 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
C'mon, just tell me what you were doing  
I'll leave it alone if you tell me  
please  
I'm begging now, I really need to know  
Do you enjoy watching me suffer?_

 _ **2:45 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Kind of._

 _ **2:45 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
Well, that's rude._

 _ **2:45 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Eh, I'm a bitch  
Why does it even matter?_

He couldn't actually think of a good answer for that. The closest thing he could think of was that he missed hanging out with her. She never had time anymore, going back and forth between school and her boyfriend. Which was annoying more than anything else, especially because her boyfriend was not that great. He could treat her better than hippie.

 _ **2:46 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
Because_

 _ **2:46 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Mature_

 _ **2:46 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
IF YOU'D LET ME FINISH  
THE NERVE OF SOME PEOPLE  
ANYWHO, Because...  
We used to talk about everything  
You used to tell me everything  
It wasn't 'stuff', it was 'Oh, there was this brunette bitch at the mall...'_

 _ **2:47 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Yeah...  
I guess I haven't really been the best friend lately  
Sorry about that_

 _ **2:48 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
SMH  
NO  
THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT  
I didn't mean apologize, I just meant...like...  
Can we get back to old us?  
Where you tell me why your school work is getting finished at almost 3 AM  
_

 _ **2:50 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Mm...  
I was out with Finn...  
We were at a party  
I got back like 1/2 an hour ago_

Of course, he would take her to a party. That boy had no regard for academia.

 _ **2:51 AM**_ **  
Bellamy _  
_** _Smh, Clarke..._  
 _You are better than this_  
 _'You are going to go places' and all that BS your mom tells you_  
 _Seriously, he's not THAT great_

 _ **2:51 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
I said I got back a half hour ago  
Not Finn  
He's still at the party  
_

 _ **2:52 AM  
**_ **Bellamy  
** _Wait-  
How'd you get home?  
Because you can't drive  
And I'm pretty sure he was your ride_

 _ **2:52 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Mmhmm  
That's why I walked_

 _ **2:53 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!  
YOU WALKED HOME FROM A PARTY AT 2 IN THE GOD DAMN MORNING?!  
WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME OR A CAB OR SOMETHING?!_

 _ **2:53 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
*Shrug* I thought you were asleep.  
To pay for a cab I'd have to use my card which alerts my mom every time I use it._

 _ **2:54 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
INEXCUSABLE!  
I WILL NOT HAVE YOU WALKING ALONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!  
Speaking of which...  
What kind of piece of shit boyfriend lets their girlfriend walk home alone in the middle of the night?!_

 _ **2:54 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Probably the same one who has had a girlfriend at a different school for the past year._

Well shit...

 _ **2:55 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
Address of the party, please._

 _ **2:55 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Why?_

 _ **2:55 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
I have to go kill him_

 _ **2:55 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Nah, it's okay_

 _ **2:56 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
LIKE HELL IT IS!  
THAT'S FUCKED UP  
AND LOW  
EVEN FOR HIM_

 _ **2:56 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
I'm pretty sure he got the message from his now broken nose_

 _ **2:56 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
You broke his nose?_

 _ **2:56 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Nah.  
Raven did.  
His (ex) girlfriend.  
She walked me partially home after she punched him and dumped her drink on him._

 _ **2:57 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
I like her already.  
Alright  
It's almost 3, kid_

 _ **2:58 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Thanks, DAD.  
Kid? You're barely two years older than me_

 _ **2:58 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
But  
I'm still older  
And you have school in a couple hours  
Sleep  
SLEEP CHILD_

 _ **2:59 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
CHRIST!  
FINE!  
NOW I'M YELLING TOO!  
ARE YUH HAPPY NOW!  
WE'RE WAKING UP EVERYONE IN CYBERSPACE!_

He let out a quiet chuckle, she always did this. They would be having a perfectly fine conversation and she'd turn it into a fake argument or a 'screaming' match through text. It was genuinely funny, and it always made him laugh, even at three in the morning.

 _ **3:00 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
Ah, yes.  
Quite pleased.  
Now, it actually IS 3 AM  
Please go to sleep now_

 _ **3:00 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
I'm going to sleep.  
But it's because I'm tired  
Not because you told me to  
You have won nothing  
_

He shook his head and looked back up to the window. She was shutting down her laptop. Before the light went out he could see her flipping him off.

 _ **3:01 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
Yeah, and I'm the immature one.  
Sure._

 _ **3:01 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Excuse me.  
Sir.  
Some people are trying to sleep  
It is, after all, 3 in the morning._

 _ **3:02 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
Good night, Clarke._

 _ **3:02 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Good night, Bellamy._

Looking up one last time, her room was dark. He was supposed to get up in less than three hours, get ready, go outside, and drive this girl to school. It was stupid how much he cared about her, _is it, though?_

Yes. Because normal 17-year-olds do not go and start liking their little sister's babysitter who also happens to be their neighbor and one of their best friends.

Alright, so maybe nothing about the situation was normal, but it still didn't mean it wasn't weird.

' _I like weird, normal is boring anyway_ ', He remember's Clarke telling him that after he asked why she wanted to be friends with a weirdo like him.

He shrugged and turned off his own light. This was all something 6-AM-Bellamy had to deal with, right now, he was 3-AM-Bellamy. And 3-AM-Bellamy was going to sleep.


	12. Cheese Burger

Genre: Friendship /

Rated: T (?)

Word Count: 2,401

Characters: Clarke Griffin / Bellamy Blake / Octavia Blake / Monty Green / Jasper Jordan / Raven Reyes / Harper McIntyre / Finn Collins /

Characters Mentioned: Anya / Nathan Miler / Lincoln / Bryan / Kyle Wick /

Relationships: Clarke/Finn (broken up) (mentioned) / Clarke/Bellamy / Miller/Bryan / Harper/Monty / Lincoln/Octavia /

Summary: Clarke freaks out when she see's her ex at a bar and Bellamy helps calm her down (summaries, not my forte)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot /

A/N: Here's another story that I have no idea what the fuck it is. Honestly, who lets me write anymore? This just took a mind of its own. I...cannot explain it.

* * *

It started with Octavia. She was celebrating something again. No one really knew what she was celebrating, they just knew there would be booze and people. Clarke loved Octavia, they were best friends, but dear lord. That girl knew so many people. Way too many. It used to just be their small group, maybe 10 people. Now, the people that came to her celebrations could fill up the entire bar.

Anya, the owner of the bar, loved Octavia. Granted, she _always_ brought in people, making Anya more money. But Clarke was pretty sure Anya just liked her anyways. Octavia was a hard girl to dislike. Although, she is pretty difficult to get along with for more than a few hours. But if you can't spend 12 hours locked in a walk-in with her and not come out friends, then it was never meant to be (yes, that's how she and Clarke became friends).

Well technically, they'd been friends for years, but getting trapped with someone somehow solidifies it. They went to go get another Keg and the door shut. No one could hear the banging against the loud booming music so they were stuck in there. After the first hour or so arguments broke out, they fought for a long time. But when you are stuck with someone in a walk-in freezer, something happens between you two. Somehow they ended up sharing life stories. Octavia realized it wasn't all shits and giggles for Clarke growing up. And Clarke learned just how hard Octavia had it. Harper found them asleep against each other the next day when she came in for her shift.

But, it started with Octavia celebrating something. They all made their way to the bar, taking up residence in their usual booth. It wasn't as crowded as it usually was the group pointed out as much.

"Bellamy is back in town, I have to tone it down just for the next few weeks so he doesn't flip his shit and send me to a nunnery." They laughed at the younger girl.

"Speak of the devil," Clarke smirked as he walked up to the table.

"Oh, don't act like you aren't happy to see me, Princess."

"I didn't say anything." She held her hands up in surrender. He just rolled his eyes, hugging Octavia as she stood up.

"You two, be nice. These kids haven't been scarred by years of your bickering." They both rolled their eyes but agreed. "Good, now help me get drinks."

Jasper and Monty were the first up, running to the back of the bar where they kept their Stills.

"Those two?"

"Ah, our semi-legal moonshiners? Jasper is the tall one and Monty is the quiet one." She commented, staring into her drink while she tried to get the strawberry out of the bottom.

"And...everyone else?" She laughed a bit, putting a hold on her strawberry project.

"You know Miller. His boyfriend is Bryan, haven't quite got a read on him yet but he seems cool. Harper is the perky blonde behind the counter and you stop right there, she's dating Monty." She made it a point when she saw _the look_ in his eye. "Um, let's see...Ah, Raven is awesome, you don't get to know how we know her but you will like her anyway because we're stuck with her. She's with Wick over there, scruffy blond guy, he's chill but super sarcastic and always joking. Um-"

"What about the tall guy with the tattoo's ogling my baby sister?" She tried to follow his gaze and found Lincoln.

"Oh!" She laughed a bit, "Um, I'm going to leave that to Octavia. But that's Lincoln and he's great, I really like him. Like an older brother kind of guy."

Bellamy hummed, his impassive face made it impossible to determine if it was out of dissatisfaction.

"How bout sketchy over there? Tweaker?" She couldn't see who he was looking at, he noticed so he pointed with his finger. She followed to find Finn.

"Aw, hell." She slid out of the booth. The heels on her wedges made a clacking noise with every step she took and it made her feel important. "Get out Finn, you aren't allowed here on Wednesdays, you know that."

"C'mon, Clarke-"

"Don't want to hear it. You're lucky Anya lets you in here at all after that little stunt you pulled last time. Get out before she see's you."

"Clarke I need to talk to you..." She huffed, looking around her, she followed him out. He pulled her behind the dumpster out front.

"What?" He gave her a pleading look and she knew what it meant. "No. Nope. Not again, I'm not getting involved. There's a reason we broke up-"

"I know, but I just need a little."

"No, Finn! That's what it is every time, 'just a little more'. I'm not doing this anymore." She tried to walk away but he grabbed her wrist.

"What about selling? Would you do that again?"

"Shut up!" She seethed. "No. I'm never getting involved with that shit again. Leave me out of it or leave me alone for good." She tried to stomp away again this time getting stopped by a large figure. She ran right into someone and almost fell backward, but whoever it was caught her back and pulled her up.

"Woah there, Princess. Can't have you falling for me now, can we?"

She looked up to find Bellamy, pushing off of him the second she regained her footing. She scoffed, "You wish, Blake."

She walked past him but he reached out grabbing her hand and pulling her back against him, "Slow down there, what was that about?"

She looked behind him to find that Finn had run away, _typical_. "Like you said, just another tweaker." She tried to pass it off.

"You _do_ realize I heard most of your conversation, right?" She winces.

"Nope. Thought you'd be decent enough to _not_ eavesdrop."

"Princess says 'Aw, hell' then proceeds to go outside with tweaker, has a conversation about her selling drugs and getting said tweaker drugs. I feel I had a right to eavesdrop."

"You didn't."

"Drugs are a pretty cut and run deal, Princess. What would O say?"

"Probably the same god damn thing she said when I told her the first time." She pulled her arm free and walked inside, pushing her way up to the bar. "Harper, regular."

"Octavia party regular or just regular."

"Octavia party regular."

"You got it." She put a Sake Bomb in front of her first, which Clarke pounded down with almost no hesitation, and followed it with a Zombie Cocktail. That one she took slower but also drank rather fast, ordering another one. "Do I put a limit on you tonight?"

"Nah, not tonight." Harper nodded and handed her friend another Zombie. Clarke took it and walked back to her booth. "You, dance with me." She pointed at Raven, pulling her out onto the glowing floor after she set down her drink.

She didn't know how long they danced or even what they were doing, but she knew she was sweaty, her jean shorts were chaffing her upper-inner-thighs, her white boho crop top was sticking to the wet skin, and wanted more Zombie. They came stumbling back to the table, laughing.

"You good?" Monty looked at the blonde with a tinge of worry.

She sipped her drink again, "Couldn't be better." She had a genuine smile on her face, but that was probably the fault of the alcohol flowing through her system.

"Ooh, food." She followed another waitress towards the kitchen.

"Is she okay?" Monty asked Octavia from across the table.

"I think so..."

"Did she take something?" Jasper asked, looking in his pockets he found all of his bags still there.

"No. She's only had a couple drinks."

"Which were?"

"A Sake bomb, a Zombie, and she's halfway through another Zombie," Harper informed, sitting on Monty's lap.

"What the hell's wrong with her?"

"Anything to do with the tweaker she saw outside?" Bellamy appeared out of nowhere.

"Tweaker?"

"Yeah, I-"

Clarke came back with a plate of nachos.

"Clarke, who was the tweaker?" Raven put her hand over the food, making her look up. She froze for a second before ignoring the question.

"I'm gonna go get another drink." She bounced over to the bar.

Octavia looked to Raven, "Finn?"

"I'd assume so. You catch his name?"

"No, but he's back at the bar." He pointed out Finn who was still looking sketchy at the end of the bar.

"Fucking- Miller, Lincoln, go. Deal with it." Octavia commanded and they followed through. Walking over to him and saying something that made him stalk out of the bar, head hung.

"Who is that?"

She ignored his question, "Look, did you hear anything they were talking about?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Bell, I love you, now is not the time to say shit like 'it's up to her to tell you', she won't. Finn is her ex-boyfriend. He is a drug addict, no better word for it. He dragged her into it when they were dating, she ended up selling stuff so he could pay for his. She was in love with him and almost got killed because of him, she's not going to talk about it. What did he say to her?"

He took a second to process all these things he never knew about her.

"Uh, he was asking for money, she said no, he asked if she'd sell again, she said no. That's it I think."

"Terrific. Okay, she's panic drinking." Her friends all got up from the booth to track down the blonde. Bellamy stayed with Octavia, unaware of what was happening.

"Care to explain?"

"She's on the border of having a panic attack but she's trying to bait it off by preoccupying herself with stuff like drinking, dancing, getting food, etc. Basically acting like she just took Coke."

"Wow. That's...alarming..."

"It happens from time to time, he's a real piece of shit. He cheated on her with Raven but like fucked with her mind by telling her he loved her. Got drugs involved. It's just really messed with her. And now he keeps popping up and it's throwing her for a loop every time. Last time was last week, she cleaned the entire apartment. It can be scary if you haven't dealt with it."

She looked over his shoulder and he followed her gaze. Jasper and Harper were on one side with Monty and Raven on the other, they were just touching her and moving her towards the booth.

"Hey, Clarke, are you okay?" Octavia asked in a really sweet voice, almost like she was talking to a scared child.

"Um, yeah. I think so..."

"Are you sure? Because it's okay if you're not, you know that, right?"

"Mmhmm, yeah, I just...I think I'm gonna sit down for a while..."

"Ok...let's do that..." Clarke just sat in the booth. "I'm gonna go get you some water and Bell is gonna stay with you, okay?"

She nodded, her focus remained on the table top.

He sat across from her, watching her rock back and forth, slowly. She still had her eyes glued to the table, sitting on her hands, "Stop staring at me."

"I'm not staring."

"Stop lying."

"I'm not lying either." She looked up.

"Look I'm not stupid, just stop. If you want you can go get something to drink or go find some slut to fuck in the bathroom, I don't need a babysitter."

"Woah! Where's this attitude comin' from, Princess? I am sitting here trying to have a conversation with my friend."

"No one's here."

"And you said you weren't stupid..."

"Excuse me?"

"Exactly. You. I am trying to have a conversation with you."

She stopped rocking, moving her gaze fully to his face. Her blonde hair fell out of her face, revealing her blue eyes. "See, there's the pretty face I like talking to."

She laughed a bit, shaking her head. "You probably think I'm crazy."

"Absolutely." She dropped her mouth open to argue. "But I thought you were crazy _way_ before tonight." A small smile crept onto her face. "Hey! A smile!"

She let out another laugh, pulling her hands up from under her thighs. "I'm not crazy."

"Hmm?"

"Crazy. I'm not crazy. I just...have issues. Doesn't make me crazy."

"Oh, no. That's not why I thought you were crazy."

"And what makes me crazy?"

"You just being you. See, you have this look, whenever you get excited about something or when you get mad or even when someone tells you something completely random. And like there's this little flash that goes across your face." She stops for a minute to think about it.

She has a smug grin when she replies, "You spend a lot of time staring at my face?" She's teasing him.

He's flustered for a minute before his smirk comes back, "Well yeah, how else am I going to know when you're going to let your crazy out?"

She smiles again. A genuine smile.

She doesn't feel panicked anymore. Her heartrate is back to normal. She doesn't feel the need to run around and occupy herself. _And it's because of him..._

Octavia comes back to find her friend smiling. "You good?"

"Huh? Yeah." She seems a lot more calm.

Octavia raises a brow at her, skeptical. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." She looks at her brother wondering what he said. "Can we go to the diner? I want a cheeseburger."

"Um, sure. Let me get Monty."

"Diner?"

"Yeah, his family owns a little diner a couple blocks away we go there after hours sometimes. Good cheeseburgers."

"Well, I'm not going to deny a cheeseburger."

She smiled at him, getting up to join her friends on the walk.


	13. Text-To-Speech

Genre: Friendship / Romance /

Rated: K+

Word Count: 2,271

Characters: Octavia Blake / Clarke Griffin / Bellamy Blake /

Characters Mentioned: Atom /

Relationships: Clarke/Bellamy / Octavia/Atom (mentioned) (broken up) /

Summary: Clarke and Octavia meet at the library. Obviously, they are instant friends, but Bellamy has his reservations. Especially when she won't talk.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot /

A/N: *More notes at the end of the chapter*

* * *

Octavia didn't really think much of it. She was having a bad day as is, so she wasn't really focused on the important details.

The brunette sat down at the library table with a huff. She looked mad at her work. Her phone buzzed a couple times, each time she scoffed at the device. Clarke took out a piece of paper and wrote something down before sliding it in front of her.

 **Are you okay?**

Octavia looked up when she saw the paper move in front of her. She looked up to the blonde who slid it over, she offered a soft smile. Octavia gave a tight smile back before replying.

 _ **Yeah, just a bad day.**_

The blonde girl looked it over and wrote something down quick.

 **Do you want to talk about it?  
** **I'm all ears ;D**

Octavia didn't really understand it, but it seemed like a joke, she was silently laughing to herself. She nodded and packed up her stuff, the girl did the same but not before she wrote down one more thing

 **My name is Clarke BTW**

They walked out of the library, Octavia held out her hand, "Hi, Clarke. My name is Octavia."

She smiled at the girl, they walked to a coffee shop across the street. Clarke didn't get anything but she sat back quietly and listened to Octavia rant about how Atom wasn't paying her any attention lately and how she was planning to break up with him. She got mad about how her brother was still treating her like a child. She conceded that she's a senior in high school, but still, she's 18. Clarke sat back, nodding along to everything. Eventually, Octavia had to call it quits when her brother texted her he was at the library to pick her up.

Clarke wrote down her number on a napkin with the note ' **If you ever need to rant** '. She gave a quick smile and wave before walking down the street, away from the coffee shop.

Octavia walked down the hill that was the driveway entrance to the library. Her brother was waiting out front, he looked up and saw she was coming from across the street and not from inside the building.

"Where were you?"

"Relax, jeezus. I was getting coffee with my new friend."

"New friend?" He seemed skeptical.

"Yeah, her name is Clarke. I was upset and apparently, I'm not great at hiding that, especially if strangers slide notes over to me asking if I'm ok." He laughed a bit.

"So Clarke offered her great wisdom?"

"No. She just sat back and listened to me bitch about everything."

"O..."

"No! I was not being rude! I asked her like four times if she wanted to talk about anything else, she just waved it off."

"Fine. I'm still not crazy about you running off to coffee with strangers."

"Alright, I won't make a habit out of it." She smiled at her brother, walking down the street in the same direction Clarke was.

* * *

Octavia went to the library every day after school anyways, she always needed a ride back to their building from Bellamy. But now she was noticing that Clarke was there most days too.

She always sat with the blonde. The girl never really said anything, Octavia figured it was always because they were in a library. But she still wrote notes and they texted. After a few weeks, Octavia decided this girl was a pretty good friend, writing out a note for her.

 _ **Hey, do you want to come over? We can just hang out, not be in the creepy quiet library all the time.**_

Clarke smiled and looked up at her. Her expression read, ' _Really?_ ' Which of course Octavia just rolled her eyes at.

 **Yeah, sure I'll just tell my ride**

They continued working until Bellamy texted saying he was waiting outside. She texted him that Clarke was coming over too. When they got out he looked like he was ready to fight his sister's new friend, but his face lightened up the second he took in her appearance.

"Um, Hi. I'm Bellamy, Octavia's brother." He was awkwardly stiff, holding out his hand for her to shake. Which was impossible, her hands were full of her books and her laptop.

She silently laughed at him when Octavia slapped his hands away and started dragging her to the car. The car ride was silent, he looked back in the mirror every once in a while to find her staring out the window at the traffic passing by.

"Sorry about the mess, we're still unpacking...Even though we've lived here for over 3 months." Octavia told her friend when they entered the apartment, looking pointedly at her brother. Clarke just shrugged and wave it off. Bellamy jerked his head in the direction of the kitchen once they were all inside. "Um, my room is the first door on the right there. You can go sit on the bed and set your stuff down, I'm gonna get snacks and stuff. Okay?"

Clarke nodded with a smile and walked towards the bedroom.

Bellamy was practically pulling his sister into the kitchen by her arm.

"Hey! What? No need to be aggressive." She pushed him off, toning her voice down to a whisper.

"She doesn't talk much, does she?"

Octavia just shrugged, offering up, "She might be shy."

"Ok, well how long until she started talking to you?"

She opened her mouth to answer only to shut it. She thought about it, hard. "Um, I guess we've never really had a conversation..."

His eyes bugged out of his head. "Well, I mean we text all the time and we usually talk by writing notes at the library. But other than that I don't see her other than the library, I just always figured she was being respectful. Not talking and such."

He gave her another incredulous look. "Jeezus, fine. Hold on. Clarke!"

Nothing. Octavia went back to her room and motioned for her to follow. Her blonde friend came walking out after her.

"Hey, um..." She really didn't know how to phrase a question like ' _can you say something, like anything, so my brother will stop being weird_ '. Because that felt a bit weird. "I really have no idea how to say this..."

She looked to Bellamy for help, but he just kept looking at Clarke like she was some sketchy person from the corner mini-mart.

Clarke noticed and looked at Octavia with a questioning glance. Bellamy's eyes were trained on Clarke, so Octavia mimed a person talking with her hand. Clarke seem to understand immediately, mouthing out an "Ooooh!"

She walked back to Octavia's room to get her phone, when she came back out she was typing something.

A voice resembling Siri's came out, " _I probably should have said something sooner, but you always wanted to talk about you and I loved learning about your life._ " Bellamy's gaze narrowed. " _Anyway, I'm deaf._ " His arms fell to his side and his gaze fell to one of sympathy. " _Sorry, I guess it is kind of weird having a friend who does not talk._ "

Both of the Blake siblings had a shocked look on their face's.

"Uh..." Bellamy was kind of dumbstruck.

"Wait, how'd you understand everything I said?"

She went back to typing on her phone, " _I can read lips rather well. And what I could not understand I put together through context._ "

Octavia nodded, also kind of shocked at the revelations.

Both siblings were just kind of staring at her, " _I can leave if you want._ " The Siri voice came again.

"Shit! No! Sorry, we're so rude." Octavia was shoving her brother.

"Huh? Oh, yeah sorry." He rubbed her closed fist over his chest. Both girls raised their eyebrows at him

"Bell, what-"

" _You know sign language?_ " The Siri voice cut her off.

Both of his hands formed V's with his index and middle finger, putting them close together and pulling apart. Then he held up his hands and motioned them close together.

 _Very little_.

She smiled and saluted him. She placed her palm on her chest, bringing it back down she put out both her middle and index fingers on both hands and tapped her left fingers on top of her right ones. Finger spelling her full name.

 _Hi. My name is Clarke Griffin_

He smiled back at her. Repeating her motions with his own name.

"Alright, what's goin' on? I don't know what's happening." Octavia interrupted the silence, bring attention back to her.

"She said 'Hi, my name is Clarke Griffin.' I said 'Hi, my name is Bellamy Blake.' You aren't missing much." She still crossed her arms. He looked back to Clarke and smiled again.

* * *

Weeks passed and she kept coming over. She learned Octavia had ASL 1 for her language when school started back up. Bellamy buffed up on some of the basics (and read up on others in secret). But mostly they talked and she used her text-to-speech app.

One day she was sitting on the couch in their apartment, Octavia was still in school but should be home soon. Bellamy sat on the end of the couch, she was lounged across, her feet draping over his lap. She snapped to get his attention.

" _You been practicing lately?_ " Siri's voice came out of her laptop.

"I've been reading up." She smirked, she was going to test him on something.

She pointed at her chest. Both her hands were open with her fingers stretched out from each other and she motioned them like tears down her face. She pointed at her chest again. Her hand was open, dragging her thumb across her cheek, then a closed fist with a thumb out running under her chin. She held her thumb, index and middle fingers, putting them close to her left ear and curling her fingers. She pointed at him. Her index and middle fingers formed a V and swiftly same under her chin. Then made a circular motion with her index finger.

 _I'm sad I will not hear your voice ever_

Her mouth twisted up, but she looked at him. She put her closed fist next to her temple, flicking her index finger up with a questioning look on her face.

 _Understand?_

He took a second the think about it, miming her motions. The look on his face was one of contemplation.

Octavia chose to walk in, she walked over to her brother who was miming Clarke's motions.

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you sad you'll never hear my voice?" She gave him a weird look. He looked over to Clarke who was back to typing something on her laptop.

"Uh, no I was miming Clarke's signs. Trying to remember what they meant."

"Oh...well sorry..." She tiptoed away to the kitchen to get food, now feeling awkward.

He tapped Clarke's foot so she would shut the lid. She looked up at his face, reading that he understood what she signed.

He opened his mouth a few times, trying to think of something to say.

She swiped her hand across her forehead and finger spelled 'it'.

 _Forget it_.

She was just trying to brush it off.

He closed his thumb, index and middle fingers together a few times.

 _No_.

She pointed to her chest. With a closed fist, she twisted her index finger against her chin.

 _I'm serious_.

He closed his thumb, index and middle fingers together a few times again.

 _No_.

After setting her laptop on the coffee table, she finger spelled his name, with a clenched jaw.

 _Bellamy_...

It was a warning, just back off. Forget it.

He, of course, shook his head.

Finger spelling her full name then holding up his hand with his middle and ring finger pushed down. He pointed at his chest. His hand was open, dragging a thumb across his cheek, then a closed fist with a thumb out running under his chin. He swiped his hand across his forehead and finger spelled 'it'.

 _Clarke Griffin, I love you. I will not forget it._

Her face softened. He launched towards her, capturing her her face in a soft kiss. Her hands came up to cradle his face. It was a soft kiss, not a peck but not deep. He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers with closed eyes.

A slow clap came from behind him, startled he looked over to find Octavia chilling on a bar stool eating grapes. He let his head fall onto Clarke's shoulder, laughing lightly. Pulling back up they both looked at her.

"I'm just glad this finally happened. It was getting tedious."

Clarke shook her head and swiped her hand from under her chin.

 _Fuck you_

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be?! That is inappropriate, Ms. Griffin. For shame." Octavia mockingly shook her head in disappointment.

Clarke raised her eyebrow in skepticism, typing something quick. " _You're just lucky I taught you that_."

"Yup. Thanks. It was fun when my teacher asked us to do 'Thank you'. I did that instead and she got all wide-eyed like 'Oh dear! Nu! Foul language!'" Octavia did her best to mimic her 70-something-year-old British teacher.

They all laughed, even Clarke with her silent laugh. It was fun. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

 **Hiya, So a couple things.**

 **First: American Sign Language (ASL) is what I used to reference the hand movements.**

 **Second: ASL is choppy as hell. The movements for "Hi, my name is Y/N" are "Hello, my name Y/N" or a bunch of better examples.**

 **Third: the website I used for my Translations is www dot handspeak dot com slash word slash search slash**

 **Fourth: I am literally going off of what my teacher did when I first met her. She didn't tell me she was mute until the next year when I enrolled in her class.**


	14. Foster Home Fun

Genre: Romance / Comedy /

Rated: T

Word Count: 6,582

Characters: Bellamy Blake/ Clarke Griffin / Jasper Jordan / Octavia Blake / Maya Vie / John Murphy / Raven Reyes / Monty Green / Harper McIntyre / Sterling / Myles / John Mbege / Abby Griffin / Gina Martin /

Characters Mentioned: Roma / Fox / Zoe Monroe / Marcus Kane / Charles Pike /

Relationships: Bellamy/ Clarke / Miller/[Male Character] / Jasper/Maya / Murphy/Raven (mentioned) / Monty/Harper (mentioned) / Sterling/Fox (mentioned) / Myles/Monroe (mentioned) / Roma/Mbege (mentioned) / Abby/Marcus /

Summary: Jasper is Clarke's foster brother and Abby says he can have some friends over while she goes out of town. Bellamy is one of those friends. Read the story, the summary does the story no justice.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot /

A/N: Ok just a couple things.

\- 1) I honestly don't know what happened to this story, I was going to make it take a lot longer but it just kind of...ended itself. Jeez, that makes it sound like my story commit suicide...fuck...

\- 2) It feels a bit rushed to me, but let me know if you liked the story because as you know, reviews are second to oxygen.

\- 3) Totally unrelated: If you were subscribed to my story Small Town Living and noticed it has disappeared; never fear. It was brought to my attention I did not give proper credit and I need to fix a few chapters to make it more my own. It will be reposted, most likely, within the next week.

* * *

 ***PING***

 _ **Today Friday 2/17**_

 _ **5:38 PM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
Hey, man_

Bellamy stared at his phone for a minute. He hadn't heard from Jasper, one of his best friends, in over a month.

A foster family took him in, leaving Bellamy and all his friends in the group home.

 _ **5:38 PM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
Hey  
What the hell is up?  
Where have you been?_

It wasn't unusual for the kids to be brought back to the home. It happened quite frequently.

 _ **5:38 PM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
Upstate  
Some rich lady took me in  
Granted she's doing it for press (she's a politician)  
But, I mean it's pretty great here  
She pretty much just lets me do whatever and the house is huge so I don't really see anyone else_

He was happy for Jasper. Really, he was. Jealous? Of course. But not that much. Bellamy didn't really like rich people, they always had an alternate motive than they said

-see; a politician who has a foster son for press reasons-

 _ **5:39 PM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
Anyway...  
That wasn't even why I texted  
She said yall could come up  
She's going out of town for something and said I could have friends over  
I assume she meant friends from school, but the only friend I have there is my 'sister'._

 _ **5:40 PM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
She has another kid?  
_

 _ **5:40 PM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
Yeah  
Her biological daughter  
We're 'encouraged' to call each other brother and sister  
She's equally annoyed, but..._

 _ **5:40 PM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
Is she cool?_

 _ **5:41 PM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
Yeah, I guess  
Quiet  
She's your age  
But she's better than the other prick's at that prep school  
So can you guys come?_

 _ **5:41 PM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
We don't have a ride  
_

 _ **5:42 PM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
Dude...  
What part of rich foster mom don't you understand?  
I got that covered_

 _ **5:42 PM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
Alright, who am I inviting?_

 _ **5:43 PM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
Monty, Nate, You, Murphy, etc.  
Y'know..._ _I'm sure I could find Octavia if you wanted me to_

He hadn't seen Octavia in over three years. She got sent off to a foster home, being as she was only 9, but he got sent to a group home since he was 14 and not many people want a teenager. He didn't really want to deal it, his sister blamed him for his mom's death when it happened. Not something he wants to go searching for. The social worker keeps him updated on her status anyway; how she is, her health, anything new. But they can never give him the address of where she's staying.

 _ **5:44 PM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
So when are we coming up?_

 _ **5:38 PM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
Tomorrow?  
She left like an hour ago  
Shit, 'sister's' friends are here  
There's a hot one, I'll text you tomorrow morning_

He rolled his eyes, throwing his phone on the charger before going back downstairs.

Miller and Murphy were playing Mario Kart while Sterling played chess with Monty. Mbege was using the punching bag in the corner and Myles was making dinner for the house.

"Who misses Jasper?" He announced, attracting everyone's attention.

"Is he coming back?" Monty asked tentatively.

"Unfortunately, no. But, he invited us to come to his dumb foster mom's house. Who wants to go?" They were all a bit skeptical. Sure they all loved each other like brothers, but foster families weren't always great. He tried a better selling point, "She's rich and has a daughter with hot friends."

"Yeah, I'm in."  
"Why not."  
"I'll go because it's Jasper."  
"There'll be food right?"  
"I guess if everyone is..."  
"How hot are we talking about?"

 _ **5:59**_ **PM** **  
** **Bellamy**  
 _Yeah, we're all in  
I gotta tell you, the selling point was rich, daughter, and hot friends  
So...make that happen  
Let me know the details tomorrow b4 12_

* * *

Pike, of course, doesn't care what the boys do. He never does.

Bellamy woke up that morning to several texts from Jasper.

 _ **11:18 PM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
I'm a bit offended  
_

 _ **12:22 AM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
Ok, this girl is the best. I love being fake related._

 _ **1:46 AM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
Most of her friends are getting wasted and staying over anyway, so you're good.  
_

 _ **2:07 AM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
One of the girls just made out with me...  
BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO  
SHE WASN'T EVEN DRUNK, BELLAMY  
DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?_

 _ **2:39 AM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
She's passed out in my bed, she is the cutest fucking thing.  
I think I'm in love.  
_

 _ **7:26 AM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
I slept on the floor last night.  
My back hurts.  
The car will pick yall up around 4, you'll get here around 5ish._

 _ **7:31 PM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
MY SISSY MADE PANCAKES AND COFFEE_

He couldn't help but laugh at Jasper's antics through the night.

He walked out of his room to find his typical morning. No passed out girls all over the house. No pancakes and coffee. No girl who wanted to kiss him because she wanted to, not because she was drunk.

Nope. Murphy and Mbege were fighting, like actually rolling on the ground, on who got to take the next shower as Myles slipped in behind them and filled the slot. Sterling was still passed out. Monty was curled up on the couch and Miller was texting his boyfriend.

He went to the kitchen and finished off the box of Cheerio's only to find that someone left the milk out overnight.

" **Murphy!** " He bellowed up the stairs. "Milk! It goes _back_ in the fridge! Go get more, now!"

Both Johns came trotting down the stairs, "I most certainly did not leave the milk out overnight. If anything it was Myles, the kid started sleepwalking again."

"Fuckin- I can't handle this house..." He put on shoes and walked over to the door. " _If_ Pike asks, just say I went to the mini-mart."

"Where are you really goin'?" Monty asked, the younger boy always seemed a lot more...timid...now that his best friend was gone.

"Don't know." He shut the door behind him and went running down the block. He ended up running past the all the girl's boarding house down the street.

"Hey, Bellamy!" A couple of the yelled at him. He waved at them but kept running.

He wasn't sure _where_ he was going, but he felt the need to run, so that's what he was going to do.

Eventually, he did end up at the mini-mart.

"Hey, Bellamy. Usual?" Gina was bent over the counter, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Nope, just here for some milk and breakfast food." He brushed her off quick, proceeding down the aisle he was looking for.

"Are you sure? Because...the cameras are out in the back room again..." She came out from behind the counter, walking over to him.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Look, I'm sorry if you got the wrong idea but it's not happening again."

"That's what you've said for the past month. It's hard to believe you anymore."

"Yeah, still not interested. Just ring me up so I can go feed stupid teenagers." She huffed in annoyance, rolling her eyes before she scanned all the items.

"Do you at least want a ride? It's my break. I won't try anything, I swear, you just have a lot of stuff." He looked down, he could carry them back, but it'd hurt his arms after a while.

"You won't try anything?"

"I swear on my gma's grave."

"Your grandmother was working yesterday?"

"...the other one then." He laughed a bit as he accepted the ride. She closed up and drove him back to the house, driving past the All Girl's house again, they waved and flashed him in the car. "You are popular, I'll give you that."

"Yeah, popular..." When she stopped he could hear the thumping of Mbege's terrible metal music and someone else was screaming. "I hate them all."

"You don't but I won't tell." He rolled his eyes, grabbing the groceries from the back.

"Thanks for the ride."

"Don't mention it." She said with a smile and sped off back towards the store.

"Gina?" Miller followed him into the kitchen when he entered the house.

"Of course."

"She try again?"

"Obviously. 'The cameras are out in the back room again' was her line this time."

"Ah, romance. It's a beautiful thing." He swooned mockingly.

 _ **10:07 AM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
_ _Foster mama said I might get a car...  
_ _I'm quite scared to be here tbh_

He rolled his eyes at the boy's idiocy. "Breakfast!" And suddenly, all the boys were seated either at the table or at the counter.

Everyone got a donut, an apple, a glass of juice, and a granola bar.

Just because they lived in a group home didn't mean they shouldn't have decent meals. After breakfast, everyone either got started on homework, chores or in Bellamy and Miller's case, work.

He worked as a cashier at the diner a few blocks down. Miller was a tutor but he taught kids _at_ the diner, just for convenience.

He stood behind the counter and watched Miller teach a seventh grader basic Algebra, the kid was not having it. At all. After the hour was up, he just threw the money at Miller and ran out of the establishment as fast as he could.

"What was _that_ about?"

"Parents want him to be advanced, he just wants to meet his girlfriend at the movie theater."

"Ah, childhood. Wonder was that's like for normal kids?"

"Me too, dude. What's it like to stay in a home for more than 6 months?"

"A loving home that doesn't have 6 other teen boys." Bellamy clarified.

"Precisely."

Both boys laughed it off. Miller sat at the counter drinking free coffee until Anya, Bellamy's boss, kicked them out.

"There is no one else here anyway, and your friend is going to run me out of grounds if you stay any longer." She explained as she pushed them out.

"Jasper's car should be at the house in about a half hour. We should go make sure they are at least semi-acceptable for rich people part of town."

"I suppose." They both jogged back towards the house, it was scarily silent. " _What's happening?_ " Miller stage-whispered as they entered.

" _I'm not sure, but I'm not a fan_." He explained.

Murphy was reading 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. Monty was napping on the couch. Mbege and Sterling were working on Geometry. And Myles was using the computer to type an essay.

"Who did what?"

"What are you talking about?" Murphy looked at him like he was crazy.

"You're all quiet, and studying, and doing what you're supposed to. What happened and who did it?" They stayed silent.

"Murphy and Myles broke the mirror in the upstairs bathroom," Monty announced, eyes still closed, arm still draped over his face.

"Snitch." Murphy sneered at the boy.

"Cram it. You clean it up?"

"I'm not an idiot."

"You broke the mirror. We really gonna argue this point?"

He stayed quiet.

"Whatever, everyone showered at least, right? Because the dumb car Jasper sent should be here in..." He checked his phone. "20ish minutes."

"Yeah, Dad. We all showered and brushed our teeth this morning." Sterling commented, not looking away from his math. Bellamy slapped the back of his head.

"Good. Now, we are _not_ going to fuck anything up for Jasper, are we clear? He might actually like it there, so...don't fuck it up." They all grumbled at him. He just rolled his eyes and went upstairs. Miller followed, being his roommate.

"You really do act like their dad."

"Well it's not like Pike takes care of them, and if we aren't all taken care of the system is going to remove us and put us all in different group homes. And I don't think, after 3 years here, you want a new place? Especially one that could be shittier."

"Hey, man, I wasn't arguing. I was just stating my opinion. I'm glad you do it. It's better than before when we all just had to fend for ourselves."

"Yeah, well..." Bellamy honestly liked Miller. They've been going to school together on and off their entire lives, it was by pure coincidence that they ended up here. He was going to say more on the matter when a honk came from the front of the house.

" _No shit, Bellamy! Miller! You gotta see this!_ " The came back downstairs.

"What-" A large hummer limo was parked out front. "No...shit..."

"Aw, fuck yeah. Go, Jasper!" Miller cheered, following his friends out to the car.

The ride over to the house wasn't boring, but riding in a car isn't all that exciting. There was a mini fridge full of beer that made it better, and a TV with PlayStation.

Jasper stood on the front porch of a huge house that was just shy of being called a mansion.

"Welcome, my friends, to paradise." They all cheered at him and walked inside after him.

"Where are the girls, Jas?"

"Yeah, were you making that shit up?" They made their way in the big living room with a giant TV screen, Monty and Myles were already turning it on.

"No, they went to the mall to do some stupid girly shit. Um, Bellamy, I meant to talk to you earlier-" Just then, the front door opened, and Jasper was cut off by the sounds of several girls giggling.

"You're fucking ridiculous."

"I'm telling you, do it if you want, but I-" She cut herself when she walked around the corner. "Bell?"

"Octavia?" She dropped the bags she had in her hands and went up to him, enveloping him in a bone crushing hug. Everyone had fallen silent, watching the interaction.

" _It's-a-me! Mario!_ " The TV spoke, making everyone laugh at the interrupted moment.

"Octavia, I'll just put your stuff in my room, okay?" A blonde girl spoke, grabbing the dropped bags.

"Here, I'll take them. Um, I'll be right back." The girls all kind of rushed down the hall.

"So...turns out Octavia is living with my foster mom's best friend/boyfriend..." Bellamy turned to Jasper.

"Um...anyone else think the blonde girl was hot as fuck?" Sterling spoke up.

"Dude...she's supposed to be my sister now..." Jasper shook his head, exiting towards the kitchen. Bellamy followed him.

"How the hell does she know these girls?!"

"Like I said, foster mom. Her boyfriend is O's foster dad. They're going on some dumb romantic getaway thing and asked me and Clarke to watch her."

"Who the hell is Clarke?"

"I am." The blonde girl from before entered the room, brushing past him to open the fridge and get out some ingredients. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and assume you're Bellamy?"

"Uh, yeah..." She was pretty distracting. Her dark green flannel did nothing to hide her cleavage, and her cutoffs were hugging her ass perfectly. Her hair was up in a bun on top of her head, but several strands had escaped, falling in her face. And the blue of her eyes was almost piercing with how icy it was. He physically shook the thoughts, and all others, from his head to focus on the matter at hand. "Yeah, I am. How do you know me?"

"I've been babysitting Octavia for the past two years..." She said like it should be common knowledge. She threw a bunch of tortilla chips on a cookie sheet when Jasper squealed with excitement.

"Nachos?"

She grinned at him, "Nachos."

"Fuck yeah!" He did a little dance, that made her laugh.

"Hey, can we focus on my sister?"

"Huh? Um, sure. What about her?"

"How about what the hell she's been up to for the past three years?!"

"Bouncing homes first 9 or so months, landed at Kane's house, and that just kind of stuck." She went back to throwing cheese and jalapenos on top of the chips.

"What-"

"Dude, ask your actual sister the stuff you want to know about her, she's fucking missed you. And that piece of shit social worker wouldn't tell her anything about you."

"She asked?"

"Obviously. But they said something about you being in a 'volatile situation', so she couldn't have visitation rights."

"I was in a god damn group home! That's not my fault!"

"No one said it was, Bell." Jasper patted his shoulder. The blonde girl seemed almost completely uninterested in the conversation, stuffing her face with chips and other ingredients for the nachos.

"I'm sorry, Princess, does my shit life not concern you?" He snarled at her, she looked up, alarmed.

"I didn't say a word, I've told you what you want. Go talk to your sister who you haven't seen in three years, jeezus. No need to be a fucking asshole about it." She threw the chips in the oven and stormed out of the kitchen.

"I thought you said she was quiet?" He accused Jasper.

"She is. So either she's drunk, high, both, or she just hates you. You were bein a bit douchey." He patted his buddy on the shoulder.

He went back into the den where the others were, "Where'd the girls go?"

"They're doing something in Clarke's room. Who wants a full tour?" They agree so they walked around the house.

"My room," It was a large bedroom, pretty basic, it basically looked like something out of a catalog. "Home theater. Kitchen. Backyard. And, shit this is my personal favorite, indoor pool." They all crowded in the warm room. It was a large pool, with two hot tubs tied into it on either side. Murphy squatted down to put his hand in the water, he heard a slapping noise. Looking to the side he found a pair of bare feet. He followed them up a pair of long legs, to a curvy blonde girl in a bikini.

"Hi."

Murphy stood up straight, there were seven girls standing behind her, all in swimwear.

"Are going to _use_ the pool or just stare at it?" Clarke was being sassy again. Bellamy had to admit, Clarke in a bathing suit was not less distracting than Clarke in cutoff shorts.

"Um..."

"I was just showing them around the house, Clarke. We'll probably come back later."

"Mmk." She jumped straight in, splashing all the guys. The other girls followed suit, getting the guys wetter in the process.

"Continue house tour, jump in the pool? Up to you."

Another blonde girl swam up to the side, "Are you guys gonna get in or...?"

"I didn't bring my suit," Monty states, slightly intimidated by the girl.

"Neither did I." She swam back over to her friends with a wink.

"Jeezus, follow me, you guys can leave your clothes in my room." The boys practically trampled over Jasper trying to get to his room to discard their clothing.

After all of their clothes but their underwear were off then raced each other back to the pool, jumping in and swimming up to the giggling girls.

Bellamy walked out, still fully clothed to find a soaking wet Clarke. He swallowed as she took nachos out of the oven.

"Oh, hey. Are you not swimming?"

"It's not my thing."

"Oh, then I'll just hang out in here with you." She grinned at him.

"Wh- what...Why would you do that?"

"I'm sorry, would you rather go watch your friends try to bang my friends?" He gave it a thought.

"Alright, you make a valid point."

"Duh." He walked over, eating some the cheesy chips.

"So, I gotta ask. How does Jasper fit into your whole...life...situation...thing?"

Her face fell and she dropped the chip, dusting her hands off.

"Well, mom sucks, and she wants to get elected Mayor. And what's good press? Taking in a kid who doesn't feel wanted. I yelled at her for hours, we didn't talk for a couple days, then she shows up with Jasper. And he's pretty cool, I still think it's shitty how she's using him, but..."

"He knows."

"I know. I told him." She shrugged, "He didn't really seem to mind. He got free food, a big house, pretty much the picture of a dream life."

"And I'm assuming Princess has a problem with that?" She glared at him, hard.

"Look, think whatever you want. Money doesn't make everyone happy. Have too little of it, be fucking depressed and anxiety ridden. Have far too much of it, be fucking depressed and anxiety ridden. Just gotta find that nice common ground."

"So growing up with all this," He gestured to the large house, "That didn't make life better?"

"It made life...I don't know. It made it easy to get what I wanted, but that's not really the correct way to raise a kid. Growing up with money is all shits and giggles until you actually have that life."

"What life?"

"The life where you don't see your parents because they're always at work and then when you do see them they are on edge or fighting. Just all around mad at everything, so that gets taken out on you. They don't think about it, go to sleep. Get up the next day, they're gone to work again. Repeat cycle. Then by the time you want to make things right, your dad is dead and your mom is accused of murder and you get thrown for a loop, thrown into foster care for a couple months before a family friend snatches you up. Go back to living the life of never seeing the adult and when you do see them they're mad. Now, mom's back, running for office, bringing in a complete stranger and telling me I am supposed to call him my brother. Now, I see her _maybe_ once every two weeks or so and that's just so she can yell at me about what a shitty job I'm doing with my straight A's and how I'll never be good enough to make it into an Ivy league school so I'll never be good enough to make it to med school, therefore I won't be a doctor and I can't be rich and have kids of my own to ignore." She takes a huge breath, running out towards the end of her schpiel.

He looks at her with wide eyes, "Um..."

"Sorry." She ducks her head, a red tint evident on her face. "That was...too much."

"It was something...you're makin' me reconsider the whole get rich plan, though, so thanks." She lets out a wry laugh before stuffing her face with more chips. "Y'know, Jasper said you were quiet. I'm not really seeing that. His theory is you're either drunk, high, both, or you just hate me. And I'd honestly really like to know what it is."

She looked at him amused, "How do you know I'm not just crazy and stressed?"

"Are you?"

"Well I'm stressed, I don't know if I'd call myself crazy." They both let out a laugh as Jasper and another girl came stumbling backward into the kitchen. Jasper notices the two, immediately pulling back and stiffening.

"What are- oh, hey Clarke...new guy..." The girl had a red flush spread across her cheeks.

"Bellamy. This is Maya." Jasper introduced the two.

"Hi, Maya."

"Um, hi." She kind of hid her face, pink creeping up her neck.

"My room?"

"Yup." Both her and Jasper ran out of the kitchen.

"She's...interesting..."

"Now she actually is quiet, very shy. But she's had a crush on Jasper since he showed up, so..."

"Ah, so you're a little matchmaker, is that it?"

"I'm not commenting on that until the night is over." Octavia came into the kitchen next, plopping herself down on a bar stool and helping herself to the warm food.

"Your friends are being gross in the pool."

"Who's with who?" Clarke looked a bit excited.

"Um..." She tried to remember all their names. "Murphy and Raven, Monty and Harper, Sterling and Fox, Myles and Monroe, and Roma's with the other one. I was hanging out with Miller."

"Perfect. TV or sleep?"

"Sleep, I'm fucking exhausted." She let out a big yawn before heading to Clarke's room.

"'Talk to her', a bit hard when she won't give me the time of day..." Bellamy mumbled to himself

"Whatever, talk to her in the morning then." She brushed it off, pulling a beer out of the fridge, "Want one?"

He nodded. "I just-"

"Alright, let it go." He raised his eyebrows. "Seriously, just let it go for tonight at least. Have fun, do what you want, don't obsess on what your sister is doing. You haven't seen her for three years, you can wait another day."

"Alright. Fair enough, Princess." He clinked his bottle against hers before taking a sip.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Kane talked to the social worker and got visiting rights for Bellamy. He came up every other weekend to hang out with Octavia. And it wasn't a part of his rights, but on the other weekends, he would go over to the Griffin's.

"Ah, welcome back, elder Blake. How are you today?" Clarke greeted as he entered the house.

He laughed, "I'm good, Princess, what's got you in such a cheery mood?"

"Ah, my ex-girlfriend just moved away."

"Oh, wow. Nice." He high-fived her.

"Mmhmm, food?"

"Always."

 ***PING***

 _ **12:11 PM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
_ _Is it safe for me to enter the house?  
_ _Or are you fucking my foster sister?_

Alright, so he may have developed a small crush on Clarke over the time he spent with her. But is it really his fault? She's now unavoidable. She's Jasper's foster sister, she babysits Octavia, but her and Octavia also seem to be best friends, she hangs with Harper and Monty all the time. There is no place, other than work, that she has not invaded.

 _ **12:12 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
_ _Fuck off  
_ _Not only am I not fucking her  
_ _She's gay  
_ _You could've warned me_

 _ **12:12 PM**_ **  
Jasper** _  
_ _Hmm, I could've sworn she had a thing for you.  
My gaydar is off_

He rolled his eyes, setting his phone on the island counter. Clarke put a bowl of popcorn between the two of them, handing him a can of Coke.

"I'm gonna...yeah, then we'll watch a movie?"

"Sure." She smiled brightly.

He wandered off down the hall to the bathroom, splashing water on his face, "Fuck, you got this. She's just your friend. Now she's gay, no point in having a thing for a gay girl. Just...go be friends and watch a movie."

Walking back into the kitchen, she could see Clarke on his phone, _Fuck, must've left it on the counter_

"Hey, what're-"

"I'm not gay by the way." She handed him his phone. "Kane called, Octavia is going to be over here next weekend."

She just grabbed the bowl of food and wandered into the home theater.

"Um, ok." He followed after her, "What do you mean you aren't gay?"

"Bisexual. I like both. I mean, girls are fantastic, don't get me wrong. But, guys..." She looked him over, "Are also _fantastic_."

"Ah, well..." He just shrugged, unsure of what to say next. They sat down and started some shitty romantic comedy, by the time the credits were rolling, Clarke was curled into his side and she was fast asleep.

He nudged her shoulder, "Hey, Princess, gotta wake up. The movie's over."

She made a moan-like noise and curled further into him. _Not helpful_.

He picked her up and took her to her own room. Once she was in the bed, she sprung awake and dragged him on top of her.

"If you were awake, why didn't you just walk to your room on your own?"

"How do you know this isn't some master plan of mine?

"So I didn't have to carry you?"

"No, but it was appreciated."

"Ah, of course. So what is this, Master Plan of yours?"

"Mm, get you in bed, on top of me... You see where I'm goin' with this?"

"So I should kiss you now?"

"Obviously." His mouth covered hers, a slow embrace at first. She nipped at his bottom lip, making him let out a noise that was a mix of a gasp and a groan, she took the opportunity to slide her tongue in, curving against his own.

"Hey, Clarke have you seen- Dammit!" Jasper came walking in, shielding his eyes. "Fuck you, man! You promised!"

"Eh, turns out she's not gay."

"Oh, well isn't that good for you." He huffed down the hall.

She gave him a quick peck on the lips before stroking his face, "My mom is gonna be home any minute. And she's a bit more violent than Jasper."

He laughed, giving another slow kiss against her lips.

" _Clarke? Honey, are you home? I have something for you._ " Bellamy pulled back.

"I swear to god if it's another kid I'm going to scream." She told him, bringing a smile to his face.

Walking out of her room, she found her mother holding hands with Kane.

"Ah, so this is a public thing now?" She crossed her arms, Bellamy coming up behind her.

"Bellamy? What are you doing here?"

"Hanging out with my friends Clarke and Jasper. Why are _you_ here?"

"Oh, well, honey," Abby took over. "We're getting married."

"Ah, good for you. You said you have something _for_ me, I assume it's not a step-father."

"Um, no." Abby looked distraught that her daughter was not very excited for her. "Here."

"Yeah, thanks. I have my own set of house keys."

"Um, no. Those are the master set."

"Yeah, I'm still not following at all."

"It's your house now. I'm moving in with Marcus."

Clarke stayed quiet, her lips in a tight line. "Alright, cool. So I get this huge fucking house that I don't like, all to myself because you have to take Jasper with you since he is under 18. That's...great, just great." She put the keys down on the entryway table, walking off towards her room.

"Hey, are you okay?" He followed her, shutting the door behind him.

"Yup. Just annoyed. She does this kind of shit all the time. I was upset because my best friend moved across the country and she bought me a car. She's a stereotypical rich person who thinks happiness _can_ be bought with money. She's getting married and taking away Jasper, I get the house I hate."

"You could just sell it. Buy your own house, one that you like."

"Yeah, I guess..." She put her head in her hands.

"Hey, I'm here for you, okay?" She looked up at him and smiled. The door down the hall from hers slammed.

"I think they just told Jasper."

"Probably." He thought about something, "Wait, you're 18?"

"Huh? No, I'm 17. I turn 18 in a few of months, so they'll get married after that so they can abandon me properly."

"I'm sorry, I'm sure this sucks."

"It's fine."

"Can...I make it better?" She looked up at him again, smirking.

"What'd you have in mind?"

* * *

Jasper came in hours later.

"Ok, can you believe- JEEZUS FUCK!" He fell backward.

Bellamy pulled the comforter up, covering Clarke's naked chest.

"Fuck! Put a sock on the door or something!"

"Or...you can knock like a normal person."

"We both know _that's_ not going to happen so, sock method." She laughed at him, burying her face in Bellamy's chest, "So are you two dating now?"

"Um..." She looked at him for confirmation. "Yes?"

"Yes." He kissed her.

"Yay! Mom and dad got together after all!" He ran down the hall, presumably to go text his friends.

"Teens." She said, with mocking disappointment before breaking out laughing.

They got dressed and went out to the kitchen to find something to eat. Bellamy started making them both sandwiches.

"So, I meant to ask this a while ago."

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever thought about trying to get custody of Octavia? Like after you turn 18."

He paused, "I mean, I thought about it, like when we first got separated. But seeing where she is now...I can't give her a life like that."

"I don't think that's really what she's concerned about, but if it's what you think is right..."

They finished their food before he threw her over his shoulder and carried her back to her room. Yelling at Jasper, "Don't come in!"

* * *

 _ **1:30 PM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
_ _Hey, babe  
What are you doing today?_

 _ **1:30 PM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
_ _Hey  
Nothing, maybe going to dinner with a friend  
Why?_

 _ **1:30 PM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
_ _Wanted to know if you wanted to go to lunch  
_

 _ **1:31 PM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
_ _Sure, I'll come pick you up in like 20  
_

 ** _1:31 PM  
_ Bellamy**  
 _Actually, I'm right around the corner..._ **  
**

 _ **1:31 PM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
_ _XD  
So you just assumed I had nothing to do?_

 ** _1:31 PM  
_ Bellamy**  
 _I refuse to comment on that_

 ** _1:31 PM  
_ Clarke**  
 _Lol  
_ _I'll be ready in 10_

Jasper let him in. Abby had already moved in with Kane and technically Jasper lived there (legally), but he basically lived at Clarke's.

"Hey, you taking Clarke out?"

"Yeah, thought it'd be nice for a random lunch."

"Riiight, 'random'." Jasper laughed and winked at him.

"Huh?" Clarke rounded the corner.

"Hey, ready?"

"Yeah."

"Jas, Octavia is coming over in half an hour and staying for like 2 weeks. Just a heads up."

"Gotcha." He said through a full mouth of chips.

"Why's O staying for so long?" Bellamy asked as soon as they were in the car.

"Kane and Mom eloped a couple days ago, they just left for their honeymoon yesterday."

"Oh, wow...um, good for them?"

"Yeah, good for them." She drove off to one of the diners in town.

"Clarke! What the hell are you doing in her _today_?!"

"Boyfriend. Lunch date."

"And he brought you here?!"

"I did, Raven. Jeezus."

"Whatever..."

They ordered and ate their food, talking about random things.

"How's work?"

"Eh boring. Working at a bookstore is fun until you realize you can't spend all day reading books." He laughed at the disgusted look on her face.

"Sorry, but it beats working at a diner, so...I win."

"Really? Because I think I still win."

"How so?"

"I'm me, you always let me win." She grinned at him.

"Fair point, Princess."

Raven came over and set down a piece of cake.

"We didn't order this Rae."

She rolled her eyes, "I know, it's on the house. Duh."

"No. Rae, take it back. I don't want it."

"If you don't take the cake then I'm bringing you something else, it's how it works Griffin." She conceded, begrudgingly shoving a bite of cake in her mouth.

"Alright, why is today so important?"

"What do you mean?"

"Jasper refused to believe I wanted to take you for a random lunch date, Raven got mad I brought you here for said lunch date 'today of all days', and now you get free food."

"You dumbass, do you seriously not know?" Raven was washing the table behind him.

"Know what?"

"Oh my god- It's her birthday!"

He looked back to find her slamming her red face against the table. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, like I've told Raven _several times_ , I don't celebrate my birthday." He thought back to her bitterness in the car.

"Wait, your mom left for her honeymoon the day before your birthday?"

"Seriously?!" Raven looked over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm not even sure she remembered. The past years she's always just gone to work or something."

"Well, why the hell didn't you tell _me_?! I would've done something better than random lunch date at a shit diner."

"Hey!"

"Reyes, don't even try to argue it."

"I'll have you know-...you know what, never mind you're right." She went back behind the counter.

"Look, today is not different than any other day. Seriously, it's fine." She tried to brush it off again.

"Ok..." He eyed her, picking up a fork to help her eat the cake.

* * *

After getting back to her car he pushed her up against it, "You know, we've been dating for three months..."

She raised her eyebrow, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Is that right?"

"Mmhmm. Did I tell you the first time I noticed you?"

"No...? I assumed it was me telling you who I was." He shook his head. "Alright, then when."

"When all your friends followed you to your room and Sterling said, 'anyone else think the blonde girl was hot as fuck?'" She burst out laughing, dropping her head into the crook of his neck.

"Only you would think that line was smooth."

"Who said it was a line?!" He gave her an incredulous look, feigning innocence. She gave him a look that made his face crack into a big grin, "Alright, so maybe it was a line-"

"A terrible line-"

"But! I 100% agree with him."

"Ah, good, can't have you disagreeing with the 14-year-old who said I was 'hot as fuck'."

"Ok...maybe I should stop him from staring at you whenever you come around..."

"Yuh think?" She smiled at him. He stared at her eyes, her lips curved up, he kissed the tip of her nose making her laugh again. He loved that noise so much. It meant she was happy. She was happy with him.

"I love you..." He said, quietly. She stiffened, worry crossing over his features. After a moment she pulled him down for a long, hard, deep kiss. Pulling back for air, he found a big grin on her face.

"I love you too." He was sure her grin was now mirrored on his face. She let out another laugh as he attacked her neck and collar bone with feather kisses.

She loved him.

He loved her.

Things might be alright after all.


	15. Tech Support

Genre: Humor / Romance(?) /

Rated: K+ (Again, fuck is used. You should be used to this if you aren't already)

Word Count: 1,567

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Nathan Miller / Octavia Blake /

Characters Mentioned: Bryan /

Relationships: Bellamy/Clarke (Kinda...) /

Summary: Bellamy calls a help line for tech support and really likes Clarke's voice so he keeps calling back for almost 6 months before he admits there's nothing really wrong with his computer he just likes talking to her.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot /

A/N: Alright, well I hate myself and I'm feelin sad lately so I'm going to write some **dark** fics...thought I'd give yall a break before you get that mess

* * *

Bellamy is sitting on the couch, not really paying attention to the football game on the television, while Miller sat in the recliner complaining about Bryan again; he wasn't really paying attention to Miller either. He was about to tell his friend to just cut his losses when Octavia came walking in and tossed his laptop at the end of the couch.

"Your computer's dead." Was her only comment before grabbing her purse and walking out the front door.

Bellamy opened the lid to find the laptop at 73% charge so he was confused by what she meant, then he clicked on the Chrome icon.

He curses Octavia for a good solid hour before calling Tech Support.

She said she wanted to use his laptop to do homework not download illegal music; which is what she was actually doing. Now he has so many viruses he can't even open the browser without the whole thing crashing.

This is really not what he needed today.

He huffed one last time before calling the number on the sticker. He put the call on speakerphone so he could make his friend suffer as well.

" _You've reached Arkadia Technical Center. How would you like to direct your call? Press one for warranty. Press two for Technical Support. Press three for_ -" He cut the robot voice off by jamming his finger on the number two.

" _Thank you. Your call is being transferred_." It started playing elevator music and he began to curse Octavia again, all while Miller laughed at him and turned back to the game. This would take forever, he would be on hold until he died-"

" _Thank you for calling Arkadia Technical Support. How can I be of service today?_ " A smoky voice answered. Miller immediately put the tv on mute and turned his full attention to watch Bellamy make a fool of himself.

He made the right choice.

At first, he just stuttered and coughed, barely able to say, "My sister downloaded a bunch of viruses."

Then he just stared at the phone, not saying anything. It was long enough for her to ask, " _Hello? Is anyone still on the line?_ "

But after 15 minutes of watching his friend waste his minutes, Miller took the phone out of his hand.

"Hi. My friend is struggling to speak right now, he's just getting over a cold. Anyway, his sister downloaded a bunch of music from a random website and now he can't open the browser without the entire device crashing and restarting."

" _I'll see if I can log on from my desk so I can get rid of the viruses._ "

"Thanks," Miller said with a smile before handing the phone back to Bellamy, who was staring at the coffee table with a clenched jaw and a tight-lipped frown.

They watched the computer screen, the girl on the other end moving the mouse rapidly; although it might've been slower than it seemed, the computer was being glitchy as well. She began clicking on folders and files he'd never seen before. Soon the mouse was moving slower but lagging occasionally. And he wished he was anyone else when she clicked on a folder named 'Octavia's school projects ;P'.

Several pictures of shirtless/naked men and random gifs of porn popped onto the screen. It was at that point he was ready to throw himself out the upstairs window.

" _Oh...um...just...yeah, ok._ " She was clearly uncomfortable and he didn't blame her because- _Who the hell wouldn't be?!_

"Sorry...like I said...my sister shares the laptop with me..." He felt the need to semi-explain himself, because- _fuck_ \- she _sounded_ hot and it upset him that a hot sounding girl over the phone thought he might be a creepy-porn-weirdo.

But she just let out a laugh, " _Alrighty then, sorry for her. Most of the_ _gifs she has saved have strands of viruses_."

"Good lord, I should just make her buy a new laptop for the both of us." She laughed again.

The computer screen froze before turning black and then the DELL logo popped back up.

" _Alright, I restarted it. You should be fine now, but, of course, if there's anything else wrong call back_."

"Um, yeah. Thanks..." He trailed off, implying he wanted her name.

" _Clarke_."

"Thanks, Clarke."

" _You're welcome. Have a good day._ " The line clicked and Bellamy fell onto the floor yelling.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuck." He yelled, dryly and muffled.

"That went...well..." Miller said, trying to keep a straight face. Bellamy yelled into his carpet again.

* * *

It was only two weeks later when the same thing happened.

Octavia barged into his room, throwing his computer onto his lap before declaring, "I'm going over to my friends."

She left with a smirk on her face and he already began cursing her name.

When he tried to log in, neither his username or his password worked.

 _I'm this close to just throwing this damn laptop against a wall and claiming the warranty policy._

He called up tech support and got the same automated voice from before.

" _Thank you for calling Arkadia Technical Support. How can I be of service today?_ " And the same smoky voice too.

"Uh..." He flustered again. "Yeah, my sister locked me out of my computer. She changed the log-in and the password."

" _Alright, just give me a minute and I'll see if I can override it._ "

 _Do I say I remember her? Do I ask for her name again? Do I give her_ my _name?_ He was confused as what to do next when she interrupted his thoughts.

The computer screen flashed white for a moment before opening to his home screen which Octavia had also changed to several naked women posing in bondage.

"Fuck!" he yelled at himself. "Ok, my sister _actually_ hates me. This is _not_ my home screen." He was unsure as to why he felt the need to explain himself to this girl whenever Octavia fucked with him.

She just giggled and let out a sigh, " _Ok. Well, if that's all you need today..._ " She trailed off.

"No. That's it, thanks."

" _No problem. Call back if you need anything else._ "

* * *

And it just kept happening.

Octavia would either put a virus on the device or just play a prank that he couldn't undo without calling.

Well...that happened for about another month, then he bought her her own laptop so she wouldn't have an excuse to keep fucking with his. But that also didn't give him an excuse to keep calling Clarke from ATC. So he ended up just messing up his own laptop. Eventually, she did learn his name by unfreezing his browser; which just happened to be on his Facebook profile (total accident). And if she sent him a request after that, it was totally her choice. The fact that she was really attractive was only an added bonus; the fact he could see she was single and only a couple of towns over was also an added bonus.

It was somewhere around the five-month mark when she told him that he should probably just get a new computer.

" _I've literally taken so many bugs off of this thing it's aged like ten years._ " They shared a laugh before he said something stupid (and smart).

"Maybe you could give me a few tips? I mean- I think the last time I bought an electronic device for myself was like six years ago and it was this laptop..."

" _Uh...yeah...I can like give you a list of good computers..._ " She seemed dissatisfied with her own answer.

He took a beat, closing his eyes and waiting for her rejection, before answering, "Or...you could come get it with me..."

The line was silent but he could still hear the faint static that meant she was still there. He was back on the ground (the same place he'd been the first time), silently screaming at himself.

" _Yeah, sure._ " The two words made him jump up and let out an accidental 'Whoop!' " _What was that?_ " She was laughing.

"Uh...Well, I thought you'd straight out tell me to go fuck myself so...this went a bit better than I had planned." She laughed again.

" _Well, I mean I'm not going to stop you. You've got enough porn here..._ " He choked on the air at her response; making her laugh, yet again (He fucking loved that sound).

"I want to blame my sister-"

" _But you bought her her own computer to fuck with. I know. You can't make her an excuse anymore_."

"Yeah...but it sounds so much better than 'I fucked up my own computer to talk to the pretty lady at tech support'..." She didn't laugh, but he could hear the smile in her voice.

" _Pretty lady at tech support, huh?_ "

"Oh, shut up. You know your pretty." That won him a small laugh and- _jeezus fuck_ \- he would _never_ get tired of hearing that.

" _So Best Buy at the Everett mall tomorrow? Noonish?_"

"Sounds perfect." He smiled to himself, holding the phone next to his ear, waiting for the click. He smiled even more when it never came and she asked if he wanted _her_ number instead.


	16. Bunker Kids

Genre: Drama / Romance / Humor /

Rated: T

Word Count: 10,421

Characters: Clarke Griffin / Bellamy Blake / Octavia Blake / Nathan Miller / Harper McIntyre / Cage Wallace / Dax / John Murphy / Lexa /

Characters Mentioned: Zoe Monroe / Wells Jaha /

Relationships: Clarke/Bellamy / Dax/FC (Mentioned) /

Summary: Hunger Games-meets-Divergent-meets-The 100-meets-something else I created...It's a bunch of stuff that got away from me.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot /

A/N: I'm going to write a second part (maybe a third but definitely a second) but I don't know when so, for now, this won't be marked as Pt.1 or anything. As always, reviews and comments, they are like air, I need them. C'mon, I still have my serious issue with validation and how I think everything I write is trash. Like- I'm not fishing for compliments I genuinely feel like this about my writing; it's annoying. Wow...I rant about weird random things...anywho...review and comment, pretty please with sugar and sprinkles on top!

Also, question: if I make another drabble story but it's just full of like family stuff (single parent/mixed family/married with kids/etc) would y'all read it? LEMME KNOW!

* * *

 _He was new. Clarke had never seen him around before and she had been her for most of her life. Sure new people came in all the time, but they were children. Not teenagers. And nobody had transferred in years. It was only allowed in the direst situations, and certainly not for_ him _._

* * *

XXX

* * *

When Clarke Griffin was five-years-old she took the test. The test was used to determine where your position is in the world. Soldier, medical, farming, mechanics/engineering, care-giving.

* * *

Soldier: You are removed immediately and placed in one of _The Bunkers_. You will train and make your way up the ranks until you come of age. You will be retested; this will determine where you will be positioned.

Medical: You will be removed at the age of ten. You will train and study. You will learn all basic fields by 16. You will be retested. Based on the results, you will be placed; basic medical care, surgeon, OB/GYN, etc. You will be moved to the hospital your superiors find fit.

Farming: You will be removed [Males; eight. Females; ten.]. You will move to the farming district and work. The farming district is the only district capable of producing food for all others. You will get one warning; if you make more than one mistake, you will be dismissed from the farming district and will remain as an Outlier.

Mechanics/Engineering: You will be removed at the age of nine. You will study, learn, and train. At the age of 16, you will be retested to find the best field of work for you.

Care-Giving: You will remain in the district of your birth. At age 16 you will start work as a caregiver for the children of your district. At age 18 you will be tested and matched with your partner. Together you will remain. Together you will repopulate. You may choose to withhold your child from another district but the initial protocol is to send off your child to another district and in return, a child will be sent to yours.

At age 18 all personnel will re-test and be redistributed to Care-Giving if it is a better fit.

At age 18 all personnel will re-test; if you are not fit to remain in your prescribed workplace or in Care-Giving, you will be determined an Outlier.

Outlier: You have been removed from your caregiver. You have trained in your workplace. You have been retested. You do not fit into a category. Your file will be marked: **Outlier**. You are not welcome in any district. Your job is janitorial for the district you have been dismissed from. Fail to do your work and you will not receive your payment.

* * *

When Clarke Griffin was five-years-old she took the test.

She was decided to be a soldier. She was decided to train at the **Mount Weather Bunker**. The guards escorted her back to her small home. She gathered her meager belongings, said goodbye to her caregiver, and left her home.

Aboard the helicopter, she sat next to a few kids from her district; hospice 2.

Looking out the window she saw the immediate ground outside the walls. It was nothing but charred forest, ash still snowing around, nothing remaining of the original nature.

The chopper stopped at several other districts, gathering more and more children. The flight was silent. The only noise came from the cockpit and the machine itself.

The were at the top of a mountain. A larger dome surrounded the helipad, opening, and closing once the helicopter was there. The guards filed the children out of the chopped in a singular fashion, lining them up in front of it. Shoulder to shoulder they stood, on display. Clarke poked her head out, looking to her left she saw the same thing she had seen on the flight over. Charred forest, ash snow, continuing nothingness.

She was drawn back to reality by the sound of someone clearing their throat. She stood up straight, looking up to find a tall white man with an evil look in his eye. He crouched down so he was eye-level with her.

"Name and number."

"Clarke Griffin; personnel number 319." She squeaked, holding out her wrist to show the tattoo of a barcode with the numbers scrawled underneath.

"Well, Clarke Griffin, do you know what happens when someone acts out?" All children were taught from birth; never disrespect your superiors and never fake intelligence.

"No, sir." _Never disrespect your superiors..._ "I am unaware." _Never fake intelligence..._

"You're unaware..." He repeated, feigning thought before reaching out to grab her extended wrist. He pulled her back to the center, facing her peers. "How about you and me show everyone what happens when you misbehave."

"Yes, sir." She let out shakily. She didn't know exactly what happened when someone acted out, but she could guess. And her guess wouldn't be too far off. Most punishments for misplaced actions were physical. This would be no different.

An hour later, she lay shaking on her bed. A small hand was placed on her arm, causing her to snap her eyes open.

"Hey, that was very brave, what you did out there..." She nodded, thankful, but didn't open her mouth. She didn't trust herself to not cry. "I'm Nathan." He held out his hand.

She sniffled before sitting upright. "You already know I'm Clarke."

"Well, Clarke, I think we should be friends. What do you think?" She studied his face, it had a wide grin on it. He still held out his hand.

All her friends had remained in hospice or went to a different job site. She pondered for a moment longer.

"Yeah..." She wrapped her fingers around his inner forearm, "I think friends would be great."

* * *

XXX

* * *

Cage Wallace was the man who had beaten her the first day. And it was at the point that she decided he was never going to lay a hand on her again.

By age seven, she had snagged his attention as one of the best in her class. By age 10 she could go against the boys in her class (the norm was to make the class co-ed at age 13). By age 12 she was able to fight, both genders, above her class level. At age 15 she started training new recruits.

She was 16 now. Standing out on the helipad, waiting. Her hair pulled into a tight, high ponytail on top of her head. Her clothes: black, breathable, and tight around her skin. Soon enough, the dome was opening and the vehicle was landing. The guards lined up the kids for display as usual, but this time someone else got off the chopper too. A teen boy. He got off and started to look around, meeting her gaze for a moment. She blinked away her confusion, steeling herself.

He was new. Clarke had never seen him around before and she had been her for most of her life. Sure new people came in all the time, but they were children. Not teenagers. And nobody had transferred in years. It was only allowed in the direst situations, and certainly not for _him_.

Cage walked in front of them, looking at them. He made the same remark he had in the previous years,

"Looks like none of them want a repeat of you, Griffin." Her face remained impassive, staring forward at nothing in particular.

Cage issued the guards to take the kids to their new barracks. Once they were inside, the dome opened and the flying machine left. Leaving Cage, two of his guards, the teen boy, and herself.

Cage sauntered up to the boy, "So, you're the transfer?"

"Correct." _Sir, always finish with sir. You poor dumbass..._ A voice spoke in her head, not belonging to her.

Cage looked back at her, an evil grin on his face before turning back to the boy. He moved quickly; sweeping his legs and grabbing the collar of his shirt, pulling the boy up to face him.

"Look here, _boy_ , you will not disrespect me again. Got it?" He looked murderous, Clarke tried to keep her gaze focused on the burnt forest in front of her, not the possible violent scene before her. Cage took a moment longer before dropping the boy's collar, letting him fall to his knees.

He walked towards the door, stopping in front of her. "Griffin, show him the ropes. You know what to do. Testing later this week."

"Aye, sir." She jerked her head in a small nod, the hair in her ponytail moving back and forth. Cage proceeded to enter the bunker with his two guards, leaving Clarke alone with the new boy. She walked over and extended her hand.

He looked at it skeptically. "Isn't there something about accepting/offering help? And how it's seen as a weakness?"

"First, I can assure you I am not weak. Second, if you don't want my help, that's fine, but you still need to get up." He took a moment more before accepting her gesture. She pulled him up before walking over to the entrance, she looked over her shoulder to find him standing in the same place as before. "Come on..."

She entered the bunker, not waiting for him to follow. Looking back she saw his figure enter the dark hallway. He caught up to match her stride. Once they took a left there was a bright light at the end of the hall. Exiting the hallway, Clarke extended her arm out in front of his chest. He blinked a few times then took steps back noticing that if she didn't stop him, he would've walked straight off the edge of the walkway. She brushed past him, continuing down the walkway. He looked over and found her not stopping, so he jogged after her.

"Name?" She asked the second he was behind her.

"Huh?"

She let out a sigh, "Name. What is your name?"

"Oh, Bellamy. Blake."

"Well, Bellamy Blake, welcome to Mount Weather." She pushed open a pair of steel doors to reveal what was most likely their main training room.

He looked around and watched kids fighting.

"What happens if they get hurt?" He jerked his head towards a pair of kids who were sparring; no pads and not on a mat.

She clenched her jaw, _Answer the question, Blondie. Can't leave the poor guy hanging_ , "They get hurt. Heal. Come back and fight again for their honor." She couldn't take her eyes off the little blonde boy, destroying his opponent. _Remind you of someone, Blondie?_ She shook the thoughts from her head and proceeded down the room. He followed after.

"Age?"

"Huh- What?"

She huffed, stopping dead in her tracks, causing him to run into her back.

"Look, here everything is quick. You will listen quick, learn quickly, answer quickly. Answer one more time like you aren't paying attention, or answer like that to someone in charge, you're not going to like the result. Understand?" He nodded, not looking scared like the kids she teaches. "Good, now again. Age?"

"16." She looked him over, he did not look like he was 16. He looked older, maybe 18, maybe older than that...She disregarded her thoughts, it wasn't her place to question facts that told to her.

"You're in my class." She proceeded forward. He followed she rounded the corner

When she rounded the corner she was met with a foot inches away from her face. "Ah! Clarke!" The girl put down her foot and began apologizing before

"Harper- Harp- Harper! It's fine." Harper nodded, her eyes flicked over, noticing Bellamy. She let her gaze roam over him.

"Who's he?"

"Transfer."

"You're shittin' me?!" She looked at him in absolute shock.

"Here's the kicker: he _chose_ to transfer here."

The blonde girl smirked, "Ballsy."

"Thanks?" He looked a bit uncomfortable. _Get over that, you'll be sharing a room with her and about 30 other girls_.

"Where's Kane?"

"Back." Clarke started again only to have harper grab her arm. She pulled Clarke back to whisper in her ear, " _Also, the little one is in our barracks waiting for you_."

"Shit- Ok, thank you." She walked past a confused looking Bellamy, continuing to the back of the room.

A tall man with a beard looked over when he heard the boot falls on the concrete floor.

"Clarke. I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up-"

"Cage. New personnel. Check with him."

"I believe you, I'm not sure you can lie... _anymore_..." He mumbled the last word to himself, but she heard it, causing her to stiffen automatically.

"I- I..." Kane saw her discomfort and changed the subject.

"Who's this?" He jerked his head at Bellamy who was looking back at all the training.

She swallowed, regaining a hold on herself. "New transfer. Can you walk him through the basics really quick?"

"Isn't that your job?"

"I'll be back in ten, the little one is waiting for me."

Kane's face shifted to one of understanding. "Got it. Son..."

Bellamy looked back to find both Clarke and Kane looking at him. "Kane is going to give you the basics of the training schedule. I'll be back in a few minutes." He nodded, she looked over to Kane. "First day, don't pull any of your usual shit."

"Absolutely, Ms. Griffin."

She rolled her eyes and jogged off towards the housing sector. She walked down the massive hallway, finding the sideway that led to her barracks. Opening the door she found the young girl sitting on her bed, cross-legged.

"What are you doing? You should be in training." The girl looked up to meet Clarke's eyes. A large smile broke out across her face as she ran over to Clarke. She enveloped the taller blonde in a bone crushing hug, Clarke wrapped her arms around the small girl, laughing. They pulled apart, Clarke looking over the small brunette girl.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, testing was easy...this time." _Never get cocky_.

"Good, so you don't feel sick or anything? New testing can be hard."

Tests periodically got harder as you aged.

"I was, but I'm better now."

"Okay." Clarke smiled at the young girl.

"Can we work after dinner?"

"Maybe, Cage is making me show around the new transfer."

"Transfer?" She may be ten, but even she knew it was highly rare for someone to transfer job sites.

"Yeah, but I'll signal you. Alright?"

"Absolutely."

Clarke smiled again, hugging the girl close. "I missed you, Octavia..."

"I missed you too, Clarke..." Octavia squeezed Clarke back. "Now, go get back to showing the new guy around. I have to go kick some ass."

"Watch your mouth around your teachers..."

"I know, I know. 'Cursing is a form of disrespect by not using proper language around your superiors'." She repeated it like she had had it memorized for years, which she probably had.

"Good. Now, go." Octavia went out the side door while Clarke walked out of the sleeping quarters.

* * *

XXX

* * *

Bellamy stood in front of Kane, watching Clarke jog off.

"-up, get your payment. Don't and you won't eat the next day." He shook his head, looking back at Kane who looked unamused. "Are you focused on other things at the moment, Mr..." He paused, waiting for the boy to supply his name.

"Oh! Bellamy. Blake. Sir."

"Blake..." Kane looked like he was trying to solve a puzzle but gave up, "Alright. Basics; Training will begin every morning at eight. Anytime before that you can get breakfast. You will get a break at 12 for lunch then back to training. You can stop at four. From four to six you may do anything within the boundaries. At six, dinner. From six-thirty to nine you may choose to train more or do something else within the boundaries. Clear?"

"Crystal." He paused, "Oh- Sir."

"Good. I am Marcus Kane, I will be the trainer for your class. There are other trainers around that you may ask for help, but try to seek me out first. As I was saying while you were distracted...If you show up for your training, you get your payment. Don't and you won't eat the next day. Training is your job, you will get tickets, tickets can be given to the food distributors. No tickets; no food. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." Kane gave him a good smile.

"Good. And don't underestimate Clarke."

"Why-"

"Kane. Got the basics out of the way?" The small blonde was standing behind him, in a seemingly better mood.

"Yup. He's all yours." Kane gave one wink to the boy before walking away to help some others.

"Sleeping quarters?" She asked.

"Uh, sure." She took off in the same direction she had left in before. He followed immediately after her. Noticing people around the room staring.

"They aren't staring at you." He looked at...Clarke.

"Huh?" He could practically feel her eyes rolling.

"Well, they might be, but-" She was interrupted by someone tackling her down onto a mat. She let out a small yelp as she hit the floor.

"I didn't know you were out!" A boy was sitting on top of her. She looked shocked for a minute before pulling him into a tight hug.

" _I didn't know if I was going to see you again..._ " She said in a low tone, still hugging him.

After a few moments, she pushed out her legs up and arched her back in a way to push the boy over above her head, putting him on his back.

"Still got it..." He let out in a strained voice. She smirked, looking back over to find Bellamy staring at her with wide eyes.

"Catch up with you at dinner Nate."

"You got it, Clarke..." His voice was still strained while he rolled over onto his side.

She proceeded to walk forward, Bellamy, of course, followed her. Once they were back in a large hallway he spoke up.

"So...that was..." She looked over at him, a raised eyebrow. When he couldn't form the words she let out a small laugh.

"Down here..." She went down a side hall, pushing open more steel doors.

The room was a concrete box, bunk bed after bunk bed, a trunk at the end of each bed.

"So these are the barracks for our class. Yes, it is co-ed, if you have a problem with that...well...just don't have a problem with it..." She walked down the first row, "Here you can have this one. Lucky you, you get Nathan as your bunk mate." She took his bag and threw it on the pillow at the top of the bed.

She continued walking, there was an indented room within the barracks. When he walked over it was lit up, there was white tile all over the room. There was three shower stalls on one side, toilets lining the back wall, and four sinks on the opposite wall from the shower stalls.

"Bathroom. Don't wear shoes in here, all the water from the showers go to the drains and it soaks the floor." She continued moving. "That's pretty much it for here." She walked back to the entrance.

"Hey, what about other kids?" He asked, jogging up behind her.

"What do you mean?"

"Like...do we see other kids?"

"You mean kids from other classes?"

"Uh, sure."

"Not really." She watched him visibly deflate. "To do that you have to train one of the classes like I do, or just...fuck with a lot of rules. Why?"

"Uh..." He didn't get to finish his thought because a loud ringing cut him off. "What is that?!"

"Mandatory training is over for the day. C'mon..." They walked out of the side hall while all other classes were filing down the main hall into their barracks. They stood to the side, letting all the others pass into their dorms.

Once the halls were cleared Clarke began walking again.

"So, why did you transfer here anyway? I mean, we were all stuck here, why would you want to come?"

"It's a whole thing..."

"We've got nothing but time..." She said, continuing to not look at him.

"My sister is here...My mom- or my caregiver was really sick so I got called back to her to sort out her final wishes and stuff and she made me promise to look after my sister. Anyway, I filled out the paperwork to get moved years ago, but it just went through...and yeah."

Clarke stopped. "Blake...Your last name is Blake right?"

"Yeah..."

"Is your sister Octavia?"

"Yeah! Do you know her?"

"Um...yeah she's my second...it's kind of like an apprentice." She started walking again, careful not to meet his eyes again.

"You're training my sister? Not a registered trainer?" He didn't seem that mad, but a bit put off by the revelations.

"Well, no, she trains with her class' trainer for half the time, then I go in and train a certain group and I happen to put in extra focus on her. She's one of the best in her class, close to my record."

 _You mean the one where you just beat up anyone who didn't have the same opinion as you? The record that put at least ten kids in the hospital wing over the years? Yeah, what a record to beat._ She shook the voice out of her head again.

"I might be able to get you to see her sometime later this week, but I can't promise anything."

He seemed a bit bitter now, "Oh, so you can do whatever because you're a little princess, Cage's favorite, but since I just got here I'm not allowed-"

She pushed him against the concrete wall, causing all the breath to leave his lungs.

"Shut. Up. You don't know half the shit I've been through. Don't act like you do. I will try my best to let you see your sister. I'll have Nate find you and he can take you to dinner." She stormed off.

"Where you goin'? Isn't it your job to do this?"

"Would you rather end up in the hospital wing? Because that's where you're headed if I stick around." She disappeared around a corner leaving him alone against the cold wall.

* * *

XXX

* * *

"Don't worry about it too much, man. Clarke just...has a bit of a temper."

"Ok, but she kind of threatened to send me to the hospital..."

"What? No. That was a warning, not a threat."

Yeah, he was not following what this guy was saying. Nate- ' _Call me Miller, everyone else does._ ' Miller rolled his eyes and continued speaking,

"Look, like the rest of us, Clarke has grown up here. Not the best environment for a child. Especially a child trying to work her ass off to avoid abuse. So she became the best. Unfortunately becoming the best fighter has its downsides. Growing up knowing nothing but fighting, you can gather some anger issues. Up until recently, she has been in solitary holding. Some guys in the 18 class made a crack about her not being as good as everyone says she was...because she was a girl. Yeah...him and his friends ended up in the hospital for five days with multiple broken ligaments...Anyway, they got her to fight and when one of the supervisors tried to step in after they were all on the ground, she flipped him, landing her a comfy spot in holding."

Bellamy's eyes widened. He was sitting across from Miller at dinner, eating some food that was supposedly soup.

"What...I..."

"Whatever you said, just apologize." He shrugged and slurped more soup.

"Is that why people were staring at her earlier..." Miller stopped, holding his soup filled spoon right in front of his mouth.

"Either they were shocked she was back or they were scared of her." He put the spoon in his mouth.

"Are you scared of her?"

Miller shrugged, "I should be. You saw how she put me on my back today. If she can do that after being tackled to the ground imagine what she can do to someone actually attacking her..."

Miller looked to his left, Bellamy followed his gaze and saw Clarke entering the cantina. Her hair was messy and her clothes, while originally tight, were sticking to her sweaty body.

She got some of the soup on her tray and started making her way over towards the 16 class. He watched as someone from the 18 class table stuck their foot out to try and trip her. He was about to say something when Miller put in hand on his arm, making a face that read 'Let her handle this'.

He watched and saw her step right over the leg. The same person who stuck their leg out stood up and pushed her from behind. Her bowl fell to the ground, shattering the ceramic.

"Oh...shit..." Bellamy looked to his right and saw Harper watching the same thing he was.

He looked back and saw Clarke crouching to the ground to pick up the shattered piece of ceramic. It was obvious she was trying to keep her cool, but even he could see how tense she was.

Somehow the entire dining hall had gone silent, waiting to watch what came next.

She stood up with a tray full of ceramic pieces and walked over to the trash can, depositing the shards. After, she walked back over to leave her tray in the washing area. Once she had dropped her tray she went to leave the hall, but the jackass was dying to get hurt.

"See, just like I said before. You're fucking weak, Griffin. You can't do shit." She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Oh? Is that why you ended up with a broken arm and several other broken ribs? Because I 'can't do shit'?" The guy who was smirking a moment ago now had a face of pure rage.

"Hey, why don't you shut up bitch!" Bellamy watched as her hands formed fists at her sides, she was really trying to control herself.

" _Why don't the supervisors do anything?_ " He whispered, asking either Miller or Harper, the only people he knew besides Clarke.

" _They think that it should count as extra training or some shit. You wanna start something,_ you _better finish it._ "

Clarke was still standing still, the guy came up behind her, giving a small shove.

"What? Are you such a bitch you can't do anything about it?"

"Do you _want_ to end up on your ass in front of everyone? I was nice enough to do this privately last time." He was scowling at her.

He pushed again, this time was hard enough to make her stumble forward. She turned around, her face was seething.

"Ah, there it is. The angry little girl. You gonna hit me? Go right ahead."

" _He's trying to bait her, she starts another fight, she gets sent to solitary holding for a year if they don't make her an Outlier,_ " Miller explained.

"Aw, too much of a little bitch to fight back." The guy shoved her side so she was on the ground. "C'mon, Griffin. Fight back!"

She looked up, Bellamy followed her gaze to where Cage was standing on a catwalk watching the ordeal. He gave a nod, allowing her to proceed.

She stood up.

"Ha! The bitch rises!"

"Y'know, Dax, you're kind of a dumbshit." The guy, Dax, looked about ready to hit her. "Can't you do any better than calling me a bitch every chance you get?"

"Fine, try this." He went to punch her in the face, but she grabbed his forearm, using his momentum against him and forcing him to the ground. "Oh, you're gonna get it now..." He went to get up, she jumped on his foot, causing him to yell out.

One guy came up behind her placing a hand on her shoulder, "C'mon, baby, don't be like this..."

She sneered at him, reaching back to pull him over her shoulder on top of Dax who remained on the floor.

They both stood up, angry she started fighting back.

"Griffin, why have you always been such a-"

"Little bitch like you? I don't know, must be from breathing the same air..." She was taunting them. "Go ahead, Dax, one free hit. I promise."

He tried to fake her out. Feigning a punch when he was really going to kick her in the stomach, however, she saw through his move, grabbing his ankle.

"Oh, C'mon..." She twisted it, causing him to follow the twist and fall back to the ground. "Try not to be so predictable. This is the same shit you pulled last time..."

Both boys were standing in front of her.

" _Shouldn't someone help her?_ " Bellamy asked again, they all whispered seeing as how the only people talking were Clarke, Dax, and his friend.

" _God no! If anyone is going to help her it's going to be her little one._ "

" _Little one?_ "

" _Yeah, her trainee_ ," Harper explained, stealing the bread off his plate.

Bellamy looked back to Clarke, no one was getting up to help her. Octavia wasn't in trouble...yet.

Dax went to punch her, but while he was big and most likely strong, she was small and quick. She dodged the hit, ending up pushed against a table of younger kids. Dax's friend went to hit her again as well, she jumped backward onto the table, her boot landing in a kid's soup.

"Aw, C'mon Murphy, you're making me ruin kid's food."

"Well stop running away and we won't have a problem, now, will we?" Dax growled.

"Oh, lord. I'm not running away, you're both just slow and terrible at your jobs." She jumped again, stepping on Murphy's shoulder she landed behind him before elbowing him in his lower spine. It caused him to fall to his knees, grabbing his back.

"Just you and me, Dax. Do you really want to do this again? Your girlfriend is over there, you want to risk losing _that_?" She jerked her head towards the 18 class tables, not at any particular person, though.

"You saying you're gonna beat me, Griffin?"

"Dax...your friend is on the ground with temporary paralysis and I'm positive your ribs are still at least bruised from the last time we did this."

He looked like he was considering his options, considering how to beat her. He looked over his shoulder, walking over to a different age group's table. He grabbed a small brunette girl by the hair, pulling her out of her seat.

"What if I just hurt your little girl instead?"

" _Octavia..._ " Bellamy muttered under his breath. He saw all the fight drain from Clarke.

"This is between you and me, Dax. You leave her out of it."

"What? Don't you think she can hold her own? Didn't train her well enough?" Octavia was struggling against him, her hair still in his firm grip.

Clarke's jaw clenched, the anger seeping back into her features. "Put. Her. Down."

"Ooh, feisty." He brought his face close to Octavia's, "It's like she's your mama. But, a mom would teach her kid how to fend for themselves."

Octavia stopped struggling against him, instead she used her hair was a swing, _Fuck, that's gotta hurt_. She swung forward, bringing her feet back into his crotch. He automatically released her, stumbling backward onto his ass. Octavia ran over to Clarke, the latter petting the former's head.

"I think she did just fine." She still had Octavia clutched close to her as they both stalked out of the cantina.

The room stayed silent for minutes after they left, unsure of how to react to the ordeal. Murphy rose up, trying to seem like he wasn't in a tremendous amount of pain, "Yeah, she's still got it..." He left the room with his final announcement.

* * *

XXX

* * *

Octavia ran over to her, burying her face into Clarke's chest.

" _Don't cry, not in here_." She whispered to the small girl and started stroking her head.

She looked away from the small girl in her arms to the coward on the ground.

"I think she did just fine." Clarke still had Octavia clutched close to her as they both stalked out of the cantina.

Once they were down the hallway, Octavia fell to the ground in a puddle of tears.

"Sh, sh, it's okay...you're okay..." She hugged the girl close to her body, her ear hovered over the blonde's heart. After a few minutes, her cries were reduced to small sniffles. "It's okay, you're gonna be okay..."

Both girls rose and walked down the hall again, they walked to the hospital wing which was abandoned; the two staff members most likely attending to Dax and Murphy.

Clarke sat Octavia down on a bed and went to grab a plastic bag, she filled it with ice before wrapping it in a cloth. She gently set it on top of the girls head, letting the cold seep through her thick brunette hair.

The door opened, alarming both girls, Clarke automatically ready to fight. Bellamy rounded the corner, she visibly deflated, letting the tension drain from her shoulders.

"Bell...?" Octavia asked through her sniffles, eyes still bloodshot and puffy.

"Hey, O. How's the head?" She dropped the ice, running over to hug him. "I missed you, kiddo."

"I missed you too." She mumbled into the fabric of his shirt. He looked up to find Clarke watching the small girl with adoration in her eyes. She rose, only stumbling slightly.

"Did one of them get you?" He asked, breaking the silence. Octavia pulled away and saw Clarke making small hops, supporting most of her weight on her right.

"No...I just landed wrong. I'm fine."

"Can't you take some medication?"

"No!" Both girls yelled. Clarke looked distressed and Octavia looked like she was pleading with Clarke.

"Ok..."

"I mean- I'm fine. Really, it doesn't hurt that bad." Octavia was eyeing her bad leg. "Promise."

* * *

XXX

* * *

After dinner was over and everyone cleared out of the cafeteria, Bellamy was sort of lost. He didn't have any friends here, he didn't know what boundaries Kane was talking about, and he really didn't want to step out of bounds.

Clarke found him sitting on the edge of his bed, hanging his head in his hands. She rolled her eyes, huffing. The blonde stood in front of him and waited for him to look up at her; it only took a few moments.

"What are you doing?"

"Sitting?" He asked like she was accusing him of something.

"I meant why aren't you doing something better. This can't be fun." She sat down on the bed across from him.

"You don't know my idea of fun. I could be having the time of my life right now." Her lips quirked into a small smile.

"Well, I don't believe that for a second." His turn to offer a small smirk.

"Alright, maybe this isn't the most exciting thing in the world."

"I knew it!" She offered. "Alright, well what did you do at your old compound?"

"I-" He cut himself off, thinking. "Nothing really, train day in/day out."

"I mean, you can still do that. You have about..." She checked the clock that was on the wall, behind bars. "Two-ish hours left before lights out."

"Well, what do you do to kill time?" She pondered.

"Stuff..." She offered with a sly grin. "And I train. If you want I can show you around the gym more, the equipment and such. I know most of it is probably the same as your old compound, but-"

"No, that'd be great." He cut her off.

"Oh...kay then." Standing up, he saw a flash of her skin in between her top and her pants. There was something that looked like it could be a part of a tattoo and a large scar.

He tried not to focus on it too much, but walking behind her he saw more scars over her arms and shoulder blades. He considers asking about them, _it's not like she's going to a great deal to hide them..._

But he just met her earlier today, and he feels like he'd already pushing it with her.

Walking into the gym, there weren't that many people. Mostly kids from the 18 class training to be the best before their final test. They walked over to the section for the 16 class.

"Alright, you know pads and staffs right?" She jerked her head over towards the closet with padding and a stand with several wooden staffs.

"Basics..." He knew how to hit people, that's what he was best at.

"Alright. Let's go." She walked over, kicking her boots off and stepping onto the blue mat.

"What?" She readied herself into a fighting position.

"I don't know your skill level, you're gonna spar with me so I know what to do."

"You aren't the trainer for the class..." He argued but started toeing off his own boots.

"No, but Kane is going to make you fight me anyway..."

"Yeah, fine, whatever."

20 minutes later he's on the ground. For the third time. Sweating and panting. His naked torso sticking to the blue mats while she is standing over him, offering her hand.

"You're fighting like you haven't done it in years."

"I guess we just didn't train as brutally as you all do." He grabs her hand, pushing himself up.

The same loud ring from earlier came three times.

"Shit- I forgot."

"What?"

"Trip day, tomorrow."

"Trip day?" She looked at him like he was insane.

"Yeah, we go to another district, help out with some stuff, protect. Random stuff." She nodded in the direction of the exit. "C'mon, you'll want to shower tonight. The showers are never free in the morning, and it may take like 15 or 20 tonight but the morning takes like an hour." She grabbed two towels from a closet they passed on the way back to the dorm.

Getting back, most all of the teens were in the concrete box. Talking to each other, trying to sleep over the noise, reading a book (he wanted to know where they got books), or standing in line for the bathroom.

She walked over to the bunk she was sitting on before and started taking off her boots and sliding them under. _Must be her bed_ _..._ He thought to himself.

She sat steely faced as a pillow hit her in the face, it came from above his own bed.

"Nate, we've talked about this..."

"And we've talked about you calling me Nate in front of other people..."

"I _refuse_ to call you Miller. It's stupid."

"Like you going by Griffin?"

After going rigid for a moment, she went back to her task, trying to ignore him. "Only Dax and Cage call me that..."

She grabbed her towel and walked towards the indented room.

"Dude, you look like you took a beating," Miller commented.

"Kinda did..."

"You were training with her?"

He shrugged a bit, before realizing it hurt. "I figured if she was still mad at me I'd let her get the hit she wanted."

"I can't tell if you're brave or stupid." Harper's voice startled him from behind.

"Yeah, neither can I..." He agreed with her. They sat and chatted for a few minutes. The two told him they were going to farming district tomorrow and it would be fairly easy for his first trip.

Clarke came out wrapped in the towel she had taken with her. "There's a free stall if you want..."

"Huh? Oh, yeah." He snatched the towel from atop his pillow and walked away from the trio.

Coming back from the showers he found Harper sitting on Miller's bed with him while Clarke was fast asleep in her own bed. Her tight, straight hair from her ponytail now loose and curly. He sat down on his bed, just staring up at the mattress above his. Harper jumped down when the lights flickered.

"They do that five minutes before lights out every night. Tomorrow we still have training, but only until twelve then we leave for the trip. And it's only our class and higher." She informed him before walking off, presumably to her own bed.

Miller swung his head over the side of his bed, hanging upside down in Bellamy's face.

"So...first day. You like it or do you regret coming?"

"It was...interesting."

He pondered for a second, "Eh, I'll take it. And, again, don't worry about Clarke. She'll come around to you, you just have to give her time."

This boy somehow saw right through him and saw his secret desperation for friends.

"You can eat with us tomorrow at breakfast, I'll introduce you to some more people." Bellamy smiled.

"Alright-" The lights flicked off, only a dim glow came from the indent. "Well, night, I guess."

"Yeah, night."

* * *

XXX

* * *

Around two weeks later Bellamy woke up the sound of creaking. His eyes barely opened to find Clarke, sitting fully dressed on her bed, lacing up her boots. He looked around a bit and found only a few others awake. He sat up fully, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Straightening back up she was surprised to find Bellamy awake. "What are you doing up? I figured you'd sleep in as much as you could."

He finally registered she was speaking to him, "Oh, no, I...you woke me up. Your bed is creaky."

She looked at her bed, bouncing lightly. It made noises. She shrugged and stood up.

"Why are you up at..." He looked to the caged clock, "Six?!"

She seemed unimpressed by his shock, shrugging again. "I'm always up first, more training." She trudged out of the concrete box, his gaze following her.

He most certainly did not stare at her ass as she was walking away (He did, he really did).

His eyes rolled back into his head when the door shut, _maybe I can get some more sleep..._

Just as he shut his eyes and rolled over he heard muffled moans coming from the indent. _You've got to be fucking with me..._

Apparently, Miller had the same thought process; he groaned from his bunk.

Bellamy assumed this boy was magic, knowing he was awake. _Or maybe he's just talking to himself...?_

"This- this is why I hate co-ed sleeping arrangements." He jumped off the bunk and stalked towards the bathroom. " _Shut. The. Fuck. Up. People are still trying to sleep!_ "

He hissed at whoever was in there. Coming back he saw Bellamy sitting with his back against the wall.

"You want to try and sleep-" The moaning started again, muffling not even slightly helpful. Miller shut his eyes, jaw clenched. "Correction: Do you want to stay here and listen to that or go find breakfast with me?"

Bellamy shrugged but proceeded to get out of bed.

After they were dressed in their daily clothes they left. Miller looked him over.

"What?" Bellamy asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. It's just- You should probably get new clothes from the exchange. Yours don't really fit here..." Bellamy thought over his previous days here. Most people's clothes were tight to their skin but stretchy and breathable. His were ratty, not exactly loose but not matching the style they had set here.

"Can we go there?"

"Yeah, it should be open by now."

They walked down to one of the lower levels. It looked like the cafeteria, but nicer. Random knick-knacks were strewn on one table, books on another, clothes, sweets.

"What is this?" Bellamy looked around the room in awe.

"The exchange. You can just come here and trade something for something else of equal value. So like, when I was a kid I traded a book I had brought for my beanie," He pointed at the hat on his head, "and I think a box of moon pies..."

"Smart." Bellamy was smirking.

"Hey! The hat lasted!" He said, faking defense.

They walked over to the table with clothes.

"Hey, Vera. Transfer needs some clothes."

There was an older woman standing behind the table, smiling at him.

"Alright," She looked him over a bit before walking to the edge of the pile. She picked up a blue tee-shirt and a pair of black cargo pants. They weren't the tightest but they were tighter than the ratty jeans he wore at the moment.

But he didn't really know what to trade other than the clothes he was wearing at that moment. He didn't really have anything from his previous site. The woman, Vera, seemed to notice this.

"There yours, sweetie." She gave him a warm smile and a wink before walking over to another person.

Exiting the room and walking down the hall, the two boys talked, only stopping when they heard yelling.

"Nope. Turn around, go the other way. Let's go. Now." Miller was trying to pull him back but he could very clearly tell it was Clarke yelling. He peeked around the corner, Miller huffed.

He joined Bellamy, looking in on his friend's conversation.

"Lexa, leave me alone. I'm so done with all of this." She started walking in the opposite direction when the other girl, Lexa, reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back.

"I wasn't done speaking, Clarke."

"You got me thrown in fucking solitary holding for _six fucking months_. I'm not having another conversation with you, I don't care if you aren't done speaking. I'm done listening."

"I was doing it for your own good, Clarke. I-"

"You were doing it to save your own ass is what you were doing."

"Clarke, you know that's-"

"Exactly what happened. Yes, I do know that. I'm so tired of this." She tried walking off again only to be cut off by Lexa running in front of her.

"Clarke." Her tone was pleading, regretful, sad.

"Lexa." Her tone was icy, cold, dead.

"Please..." She whispered.

"You can't even admit, out loud, that you fucking cared about me. Too fucking afraid. I'm not dealing with this again. I gave you a second chance, you blew it."

"Clarke..."

"No. I'm done talking about this." She pushed Lexa aside, stomping away.

The boys straightened out and proceeded to enter the hallway. Lexa stiffened and turned to wipe away what Bellamy assumed to be tears.

"Nathan." She nodded at Miller.

"Bitch." He nodded back, flipping her off as they turned the corner.

Once they were out of sight and earshot both boys let out a breath neither knew they were holding.

"Who the hell was that?" Bellamy asked.

"Lexa. She's a part of the 18 class, Clarke's ex-girlfriend." He let that sink in before he continued. "Anyway, she was there when Dax and his friends were talking shit about Clarke for being a girl. They brought up the fact that she was sitting with Lexa, so she was gay and a girl. Lexa just kind of stood up and said something along the lines of 'I'd never associate with someone like her'. So that was kind of a turning point for Clarke. Then the fight broke out and Lexa was the one who got Pike, so it was essentially her fault that Clarke got locked up-"

"For six months?!" He was surprised, to say the least.

"Yeah. Anyway, like she said this was her second chance and she got her locked up. Again."

Bellamy stopped walking, "Again?!"

"Clarke doesn't know about the first time, but..."

"You do?"

"Yeah."

They started heading to the cafeteria again but ended up quite literally running into Clarke. She turned the corner fast and toppled into him.

"Nate!"

She had changed. Instead of her breathable, black work-out clothes, she was wearing tight black jeans, a maroon halter top, a leather jacket, but she still had her combat boots on. Instead of her hair being in its tight ponytail it was loose around her shoulders save a small section on the top of her head. He noticed a small silver crown charm on the silver chain he'd seen before and she had a small knapsack hung off her shoulder.

"Hey, I'm going on a ride around the back before breakfast."

"Ride?" She seemed startled like it was the first time she was noticing Bellamy standing there.

"Uh..."

"Yeah, she has a bike," Miller explained; Bellamy noticed the keys she was holding in her hand.

"Can I see?"

She seemed tentative.

"What? Are you not allowed to have it?" He said it like a joke, but she kept glancing at Miller. "Wait, seriously?"

"Fuck- If I show you, you can't tell _anyone_. Okay?" He thought back to her conversation with Lexa. _I wonder if Clarke ever showed it to her?_

"Of course." He wanted to make it seem like it was obvious he wouldn't tell anyone, but he could understand her hesitance.

"Alright, let's go. Monroe only put a loop on for the hour." She pocketed the keys and started walking toward the door at the end of the hallway, Miller followed after her effortlessly so Bellamy followed him.

They ran down a few flights of stairs before stopping in front of an old door. She pulled out the keys, unlocking it and pushing it open, the room was pitch black but he entered anyway. Once they were all in and the door was shut, Clarke pulled out a flashlight. The room looked like a large version of a janitorial closet, but there was another door to the left. She opened it, causing all three of them to be blinded by a white light. Once their eyes adjusted he could see they were outside. The ground was covered in ash and char, trees were burnt and cracked, the air was fresh.

Clarke smiled, walking over to one of the larger trees. She pulled the burnt sticks away that covered the end half and pulled out the other half, walking it over to the boys.

Bellamy stared in awe, Miller smiled at Clarke, and Clarke put the keys in the ignition. Making the machine jump to life and pur.

"We have like 45 minutes before the feed goes back to normal and we all get busted for this." She said, straddling the front.

Both boys stared at her, but she just looked at Bellamy. "Are you gonna get on or not?"

He looked dumbstruck, causing her smile and bite her lip. He swallowed, _Yeah...because_ that's _not attractive_.

He wanted to slap his inner self but chose to get on the back of the bike, behind her.

' _Did you really think this through?_ ' Was the first thought in both of their minds.

He clamped his hands onto the seat while she revved the engine twice.

"You're gonna want to grab her waist." Miller pointed out. _How'd he know?!_

Miller rolled his eyes like he could read Bellamy's thoughts. "No. Grab her waist so you don't fall off. You can't go to the hospital wing if you fall off. You'd have to explain what happened, then where the bike came from, who else is involved, etc. Just do it."

Bellamy tentatively wrapped his hands around the sides of her midsection. After the initial stiffness, she relaxed into his grip and revved the bike twice more, causing Miller to back up.

"Have fun!" He said in a raised voice over the engine noise.

The bike started to move forward slowly, making him pull his legs up. She did the same and sped forward. He looked around to find more burned trees and charred ground.

"What's the point of coming out here?" He yelled.

"You'll see."

They swerved around for a while before coming to a denser part where the trees were closer together. He clung closer to her, the trees flying past him, and noticed that it was getting darker. He looked up only to find branches with leaves on them, creating a canopy. He looked down at the ground too, finding fresh dirt, grass, and moss.

He dared to peek in front of her, noticing she was slowing down.

They pulled around a thicker tree, coming to a complete stop before she started to hop off. He released his grip on her immediately, following her moves to get off.

After she leaned the bike against the tree she started walking, not looking back for him to follow. He did anyway.

They walked for a minute or two before he could hear chirps. He looked up then back to Clarke who was smiling.

"Yeah. I know. I was the same way when I found it and so was Miller when I showed him, Harper as well."

 _Three names. Her, Harper, and Miller- and now me. She hasn't shown this to anyone else. Not even Lexa..._

He felt kind of honored. Looking away from her face and back up, he stopped dead in his tracks.

There was a small pond, with an actual waterfall attached to it. Grass surrounded the open area. Sun came through a large opening in the canopy. It looked like one of those fairytale paradises.

He looked over seeing Clarke taking off her pants.

She noticed he jerked his head away to avoid looking at her.

"You realize that you have to change and sleep and shower all in the same vicinity as me, correct?"

"Yeah..."

"And you've seen me in my bra and underwear before..."

"Yeah..."

"Then why does it matter right now?"

"I-" He really didn't have a good answer. So he looked back over to find her in nothing but her undergarments, he could just feel the blood rushing to color his face (He could feel it rushing other places as well).

She walked over to step into the water. Once her feet hit the ground it came to right under her breasts. She had taken the tie from her hair and put it all back into a tight bun.

"How would my hair get wet without showering?" She explained when he asked about it.

He was sitting, watching her walk around in the water. With the sun beating down it was quite warm, sweating began collecting on his face.

"Are you just going to sit there and stare at me or are you actually get in the water?"

"Uh..." Again, no argument not to.

After undressing he sat on the edge of the pool, letting his legs soak.

She wasn't really paying attention to him, mostly just staring up at the sky and out further in the opposite direction they came from.

"If this is here, what do you think is farther out there?" He asked, drawing her attention back to him.

"I don't know. They always told us the war destroyed everything, but..." She gestured around. "Here we are."

"It's like it's untouched..."

"Yeah..." They were silent, the noises from the small waterfall and birds chirping taking the attention.

"How do you have the bike?" He knew she could just avoid the question, and if she did he wouldn't push it, but he did want to know how she got it.

She only went rigid for a moment before a look of sadness crossed her face.

"Um, it was my friend's. But he's...dead..." She still looked sad, but rushed to finish he thought, "so now I use it. He was the one to show me this."

"What...What happened?"

"Um, we were guarding some mechanics who were trying to fix our chopper and one of the Outliers just lost it and started charging no one noticed until he yelled. But by that point, Wells had already been stabbed and was beyond help." She rushed through the story.

 _Good for you, blondie. Finally opening up to someone who isn't Miller. I'm proud. Granted that isn't true, so that takes away from it, but you'll get there._ The voice in the back of her head said. It belonged to him. Wells. All of her thoughts came through with his voice.

She shook her head, not ready to relive his terrible last moments.

"Um, we should head back soon." She climbed out, walking over to her bag, she pulled out a towel. Drying herself off first before tossing it to him. He still refused to look at her, staring off in a different direction. She rolled her eyes as she began redressing. She remembered, at that moment, her undergarments just happened to be white and because they were white they were see-through.

She blushed slightly but didn't falter in her movements, hoping he didn't see the color in her cheeks. He should not have this effect. She's known him for two weeks.

When they were both dry and dressed she started the bike up again, startling some birds from the resting places in the trees. The drive back was silent, both parties deflating the second the charred trees and ashy snow came back into view.

She shoved the bike back into the opening of the tree, covering the back part with the sticks from before. She grabbed a square piece of metal and perched it on a branch, out of sight.

"What's that?"

"Solar panel. Charges the engine instead of gas." He nodded at her explanation as she unlocked the door again.

Entering the pitch black room. She pushed the old door open before stopping, Bellamy running into her back.

" _I'm telling you, I saw her come down here._ " It was obviously Dax's voice coming down the stairs.

" _Whatever lets me get back to work..._ " The second belonging to Cage.

Clarke panicked, pushing Bellamy back into the room. Holding the door so it would shut silently.

"What are we supposed to do?!" She hissed.

"Are we not allowed in here?" He whispered back.

"I mean, technically we aren't _not_ allowed. We're not doing anything-" The handle jiggled.

" _Let me get my keys._ " Cage again.

"But we could..." Bellamy whispered again.

"Huh?" Was all she could get out before he put his lips on hers. He pulled back just slightly.

"They really gonna be mad at two kid messing around?"

"Fair point." She pulled his face back down, capturing his lips like she'd wanted to do since almost his first day. He might just be doing this so they didn't get thrown into holding, but she was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

 _Smooth..._

He pushed her back slightly, her back hitting the cold steel of the door.

He traced her lips with his tongue at the same time he pinched her exposed hip, making her gasp and open her mouth to him. His tongue slid in just as the door flew open. Causing her to yelp as she fell back onto the ground, Bellamy falling on top of her.

"Yeah, Dax, Griffin seems to be quite the trouble maker. Thank you for wasting my time." Cage huffed before proceeding back up the stairs.

Dax glared at the two on the ground before following Cage.

Bellamy directed his gaze to Clarke again, her pupils blown wide, lips swollen, chest heaving for breath. He was sure he looked the same.

He took a moment of looking at her before recapturing her lips. She carded her fingers through the back of his hair, pulling him as close as he could be without crushing her. That's when it hit him that he could be crushing her.

He pulled back, causing her to make a noise of dissatisfaction. He chuckled but stood up and extended his hand. She took it and pulled herself up, dusting off the back of her jeans and jacket.

Looking back up at him, he could see the twinge of worry in her eyes and wondered what it was for. _She probably thinks you did this just to fool the two idiots, not like you actually want to do it again._ Well, that made sense.

She avoided looking at him, "Look- I mean it's fine...if you just did that...to- I don't know- avoid holding or whatever..." She was stumbling over her words.

"Clarke." She tried really hard, but she couldn't avoid his gaze when it was burning holes into her skull.

Looking up she found him with a fond smirk across his face.

"Aright, it might've been a bonus to be kept out of holding, but I've kinda wanted to do that for a while..." He paused, trying to gauge her reaction (which was just widening her eyes, not at all a tell of any emotion besides surprise), "and I'd like to do it again. Many times. Repeatedly. For a long time."

A grin broke across her face and she bit her lip again, trying to stop it from turning into a full-on smile.

"Yeah, I think that can be arranged." She looked downright embarrassed and it was adorably cute; you know- if Bellamy used such words as adorable...which he did not...(he did, he really did).


	17. Emotional Avoidance

Genre: Romance / Humor

Rated: T

Word Count: 4,546

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Monty Green / Jasper Jordan / Octavia Blake / Roma Bragg / Raven Reyes / Nathan Miller /

Characters Mentioned: Finn Collins /

Relationships: Bellamy/Clarke / Clarke/Finn (past/broken up) /

Summary: "Sure, he's had attractive friends he could completely see himself f**king if they met in a bar, but it's never gotten to the point where he had an actual dream about that. But here he is. Waking up, gasping for air, and thinking, _What the hell was that?!_ "

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot / Mentions of sexy times / Irony; They call him a slut in this and the next fic I'm working on is about anti-slut-shaming /

A/N: What?! I got **_two_** chapters out in **_one_** day!? Who am I?! Ok, but no, I don't entirely like this but I also do. It's a storyline I like, but I could've probably done better if I spent an amazing amount of time on it. Anywho...

* * *

Bellamy never _dis_ liked Clarke, he just...wasn't her biggest fan. In the beginning, yes, it had to do with the fact that her family came from money, but as time went on he moved past it. She was a pretty great person, honestly, but it seemed like all the two could do was argue. It was hard on their friends; they wanted to go out to the movies? "Hmm, who do we invite Bellamy _or_ Clarke?" It was not the best time for anyone.

But it really changed after the whole thing with Finn happened. Bellamy chose to let the harsh comments slide, most of the time. He knew she was going through something, so if she wanted to use him as a verbal punching bag, so be it. It was a weird thing they had. She would yell at him, he would let her, she would come back later and apologize, he'd tell there was no need. It worked, but...there was still something off.

One night, the group decided to go out and get drunk. No real reason why, just drinking. Now, being the responsible adult he is, Bellamy limited himself to two beers. But everyone in their group was younger than him (save Raven, but she was dealing with the same thing Clarke was). So who was going to blame Clarke for getting shitfaced when it was the plan all along; no one. Well, maybe herself, but that doesn't really count. Now she's falling out of the booth, laughing her ass off while her friends sing bad karaoke. Bellamy got over to her in time to catch her from falling.

"Mm, thank you Bell. You're the best." Her words were slurring while she tried not to laugh at her feigned seriousness.

"Alright, I think we cut you off for the night."

"Mmk." Her head was resting on the table, eyes slowly shutting.

"Nope. C'mon, Princess, can't fall asleep in a bar."

"Why not?" She pouted against the table.

"Let's go, I'll drive you home."

"Fine." She managed to get out the booth, though it was an incredible struggle, even with Bellamy's help.

Once they were in his truck, she pressed her forehead against the glass, eyes closing again.

"Hey, Princess. I need your address." He shook her slightly, "Clarke, seriously, I don't know where you live."

She let out a small groan, eyes firmly shut, breathing even.

"Perfect." He sighed, resolving to take her back to his and let her sleep off her stupor. It took an amazing amount of effort to get her out of the car and carry her into his apartment, luckily he lived on the ground level.

Entering the apartment, she shifted, snuggling into his chest.

"Boy, you don't make anything easy, do you, Princess?" No response came, of course.

He set her down on top of his sheet on the bed, deciding he would take the couch. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping. No sadness, no anger, no betrayal, just peace.

Walking out of the room, he may or may not have looked back at her a few times trying to catch her in this state.

Clarke woke up the next morning feeling like someone had literally thrown her under a bus then through her into a room of heavy metal music. She didn't recognize the bedroom she was in, but all her clothes were still on, so she didn't think she went home with a stranger. Stumbling out she still didn't recognize the apartment, but it was far too bright. She walked over to the window, squinting, to shut the curtains. When she turned around she found Bellamy sleeping on the couch. _Fuuuuuuuck_ was her initial thought. But after a few moments, she was grateful, he took her home because she was so black out drunk she couldn't function properly.

She found her shoes, and inwardly groaned at the heels. She wrote out a note and left it stuck to the television. Walking out, she carried her shoes, shutting the door as quietly as possible. She walked down the street to the bus stop, cursing herself for not stealing the sunglasses she knows he has.

Bellamy woke up a couple hours later to find his apartment empty. He was confused at first but found the sticky note attached to his TV.

 **Hey, thanks for taking me home last night.  
** **I know you probably didn't want to, but  
** **thank you, regardless. Sorry, I had to leave  
** **before you woke up, but I'm busy today  
** **and I didn't want to wake you. Also, I'm  
** **going to be decent and NOT steal your  
** **sunglasses even though I should and I want  
** **to. I'll get you coffee or something some  
time as payback (definitely not drinks, I'm  
sober for the next month and a half).**

He chuckled a bit at her hungover ramblings. He could imagine her writing it out, her nose getting scrunched up trying to decide what to write, frowning when she realized she was writing out her random thoughts. It was cute. _Woah, nope. Back the hell up. Where'd that come from?_ Well, he's not stupid. Clarke may be a pain in the ass, but it didn't mean she wasn't good looking and had adorable habits. He sighed to himself.

Alright, so maybe he actually wanted to be friends with her and not just fight all the time. It was a ridiculous thought to have, she clearly hated him, no matter how thankful she was.

Over the next few weeks, though, she had stopped yelling at him and using him as a verbal punching bag, the arguments were now just loudly discussed disagreements, and they could actually hang out alone for more than five minutes without wanting to kill each other (their record was two hours sober, three and a half with a couple drinks).

He dared to call her his friend a few times and she didn't correct him so he took it as a win. Bellamy Blake was finally friends with Clarke Griffin; no one ever thought they'd see the day.

They were all hanging out at Octavia's apartment a few weeks later, drinking was obvious. When he walked in Clarke was sitting in Raven's lap on the couch while laughing at something Monty was saying. Her eyes moved to meet his the second he entered. She gave a smile with something else behind her eyes that he could distinguish. And before he could, she turned back to Monty.

He shook it off and went into the kitchen to grab a beer. He pops the cap off the bottle before pouring it into a cup. After he threw away the bottle he turned to go back to the living room, promptly _running into_ Clarke. Literally running into her. Which, of course, means his drink is now spilled all down the front of her- already sheer- bright pink tank top. He could clearly see her bra and the lace pattern on it, he can also see the skin where the wet article is sticking. Bellamy is expecting her to explode at him about _watching where he's going_ or _being smart enough to know there's a person behind him_. But she doesn't do any of that. No. She laughs and says, "Damn, sorry. Didn't mean to run into you. I'll get you another drink."

He's just kind of standing there for a moment. In shock from the fact- well for several reasons, actually.

One: She didn't yell at him.  
Two: She just laughed it off.  
Three: He could 100% see her bra.  
Four: _God Damn...that was a nice bra..._  
Five: She offered to get him another drink rather than telling him to get himself one after he's done being a jackass (her go to for most situations).

So many reasons...so many _valid_ reasons. She came back with another cup filled with beer, her shirt still soaked through.

 _Well...there's another look at her bra, in case you forgot (you didn't forget, don't lie)_ , He thought to himself.

He takes a moment to realize that he was just staring at her and her boobs. So he decided he should say something.

"You should ask O to borrow a shirt, yours is wet." _WOW because she didn't know THAT already. And in other news: grass is green and water is wet. I really hate you_...

"Um...ok..." She seemed a bit confused but walked off to find his sister.

He shook his head again, trying to rid himself of the image of Clarke's bra, and what her tits looked like in said bra, and what she would look like if she was in that bra without the shirt separating him from them.

His phone rang, bringing him out of his inappropriate thoughts. Roma's named flashed across the screen.

He took it, only a twinge annoyed to still have Clake's bra on his mind.

" _I'm bored and horny. Come over._ " She was the poster child for fuck-buddies.

"Well, gee, how can I deny a request like that."

" _Pleeeeeease. Bored. Horny. Roommate out._ "

"You're kind of whiney and obnoxious when you're turned on, you know that?"

" _Yes, will you come over or not?_ "

He was ridiculously turned on- for terrible reasons- so he wasn't going to _not_ do something about it.

"Yeah, be over in like 20."

" _15 or I'm starting by myself._ " With that, she hung up.

He was going to hell. He knew it.

He dumped beer on his friend, accessing a view of her tits and was now incredibly turned on because of it. So now, because he's established he's a terrible person, he's going to go fuck another girl while still thinking about his _friend_ who turned him on in the first place.

He shoves his phone back in his pocket and walks to the door.

"Where you goin', Blake? You just got here." Raven points out.

"Roma called."

She caught on, nodding an unapproving look at him. "Yeah, have fun with little miss sluts-o-lot."

Alright, so his friends don't exactly like Roma, but that doesn't mean she can't be used for a good fuck every once in a while.

"Will do." And he left, driving quickly over to her apartment.

He didn't necessarily like Roma either. Their whole thing started because they were dating first. She is boring and self-centered. When he said she was 'whiney and obnoxious when she's turned on' he was lying, she's whiney and obnoxious all the time. Those are only a couple reasons why they broke up. But being that she's obnoxious, she insisted they have _some_ kind of relationship after they broke up because "Sex like this isn't easy to find". He thinks she's just too lazy to go to a bar and pick someone up. But, regardless, he's at her apartment now. Fucking her as she moans out his name. And, again he's a terrible person, the entire time he is just not into it. They both finish (he may not be into it, but he's still fucking someone, something's gonna happen) and he rushes to get out of there, only stopping once.

"Hey, delete my number. That was the last time."

"Why? You seein' somebody?" She was skeptical.

"Yeah." And with that, he left. It was a lie, but he was tired of fucking Roma anyway. When he got in the car he looked at his phone finding 30-plus messages.

* * *

 **Octavia** _  
Where the fuck did you go?_  
 _Dumbass._  
 _I'm mad at you now._  
 _She's a slut and you are too._  
 _Slut._  
 _Clarke insists I'm being too mean so I have to say I love you._  
 _I love you slut._

 **XxX**

 **Raven  
** _I agree with O, you are a slut._  
 _But a pretty slut._  
 _Unlike your slut._  
 _She's ugly inside and out._  
 _You're just dumb and pretty.  
Clarke is yelling at me and O now.  
I blame you.  
I love you, you dumb slut._

 **xXx**

 **Jasper**  
 _Why is Clarke yelling at your sister and Raven?_  
 _Oh..._  
 _It's about you._  
 _Hoe._  
 _lol jk, have fun._  
 _Now they're all yelling about how Roma is a cunt._  
 _She is._

 **XxX**

 **Monty  
** _Can you get cheerios on the way?  
And milk.  
And strawberry soda.  
Jasper keeps adding to the list.  
nvm, just the cheerios and milk.  
and pop tarts, that's it._

 **xXx**

 **Miller**  
 _Why the fuck are you with Roma?_  
 _We all know you're in love with Clarke._  
 _Please just do something about THAT._  
 _It's getting to be borderline pathetic.  
She'd defending you hooking up with a cunt, if that ain't love I don't know what is._

* * *

He knew there was a reason he was living with Monty and not any of his other friends.

He also knew they were all joking with him (except about Roma being a cunt, that they were serious about). But why was Clarke yelling at them? And why hadn't _she_ texted him? Why was any of this happening?

He stopped by the mini mart on his way home and grabbed the cheerios, milk, pop tarts, and strawberry soda, so Jasper would be happy. Because, while living with Monty was mostly upsides, there were a few downsides. One being: Jasper was there. Constantly. And, more often than not, they were both high. So they kinda ate like crazy. But he didn't care, they were his friends. Standing in the elevator, he made a bet with himself.

 _Jasper and Monty are going to be sitting on the couch, passing a joint and playing Super Mario while waiting for me to come home with food_.

Walking in the door, he won.

Jasper tossed his controller and handed the joint back to Monty, rushing over to grab the food and drinks.

"This is why you're great- I mean, there are other reasons too, but this is the main one."

Bellamy didn't know what made him great because Jasper said that to him whenever he did anything for the guy.

"Yeah, alright. I'm going to bed."

"Ok- Oh, call Clarke tomorrow by the way," Monty told him best he could with a joint hanging out of his mouth, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Why?"

"Octavia started ranting about you leaving when Raven told her, then she turned it into you being uncomfortable around Clarke and seeing her boobs for some reason that no one understood. So now Clarke thinks you like... hate her or think she's ugly or something. And after she left Octavia started yelling about how you were just too stupid to admit you liked her and now you made her cry with your stupidity. It was a big thing. Then we created a drinking game around how much of a cunt Roma is." Jasper said with his mouth full of cheerios.

"Sounds like a terrible night."

"Nah, it was funny when Raven basically ripped Clarke's tank off. Felt like a weird strip club."

"Huh..." _Oh look, another image you won't be able to get rid of._

He walked into his room, throwing himself face down onto the mattress and groaning. Why did life have to be confusing? Why couldn't he just have a decent girlfriend that his friends liked? Why did he have to have feelings for Clarke of all people? She's actually the best and could do so much better than him, not that she'd ever go for him in the first place. But now she thinks he hates her or thinks she's ugly, both of which were on the exact opposite side of the scale. Clarke was fucking beautiful and he- well love is strong- but he really likes her.

* * *

 **Bellamy  
** _Do you hate me?  
Or think I hate you?  
Or think that I think you're ugly?  
I really don't trust stoned Monty and Jasper..._

* * *

He wasn't expecting a response. It was late and she was drinking earlier, she'd be passed out by now. He figured he should do the same.

He laid down and shut his eyes, trying to get to the next day as quickly as possible. What sucks for him is that his night is dragged out into one of the longest dreams he's ever had.

Bellamy is an adult. Bellamy is an adult _male_. These kinds of things have been happening since he was 12 and discovered porn. Sex dreams aren't weird. They are fairly common (in both genders, everyone just assumes it's mostly guys).

But what he's not used to? Having a sex dream about one of his friends. Sure, he's had attractive friends he could completely see himself fucking if they met in a bar, but it's never gotten to the point where he had an actual dream about that.

But here he is.

Waking up, gasping for air, and thinking, _What the hell was that?!_

He had just gotten on 'Okay' terms with Clarke, and now this?

Now he can't get the image of her tits out of his brain.

The image of the heaving while she panted.

The image of her on top of him.

The image of her under him.

The image of fucking her altogether will not leave his brain.

The noises his mind made up will not leave his brain.

Everything to do with Clarke will not leave his brain.

And he honestly can't decide if it's a good or a bad thing.

Later that day their group is hanging around the coffee shop they all frequent and it just happens to be Clarke's shift. And she _just happens_ to be wearing _one of the smallest fucking skirts in existence, seriously, that can't be up to code..._ And he _just happens_ to literally run out of the cafe yelling about some work thing.

Yeah. It's a pretty bad thing. She never did respond to his text and it's been two weeks.

So that's why, when Octavia said they were all going to **The Ground** for drinks, he faked being sick.

Just so he wouldn't see Clarke in one of her club outfits. He kind of hates himself at this point. He's being weird around his friends. Whenever they're all hanging out and Clarke shows up, he ditches them. Whenever the group does something, if it involves Clarke at all, he just comes up with an excuse to bail.

It had to have been somewhere over a month when it all goes to hell.

Octavia calls him up saying they were going to go out, but she specifically told him Clarke wouldn't be there. He wondered why she told him but agreed to go. She wasn't lying, Clarke wasn't there. But Octavia clearly seemed mad at him.

"Did I do something?"

"Yes!" They were alone at the bar (well not alone, but away from their friend group).

"What?" He was genuinely confused.

"You broke my best friend!" She was pissed, slamming her fist on the bartop.

"Come again?"

"You. Broke. My. Best. Fucking. Friend. How much clearer could I be?!"

"I'm sorry?" He was still pretty confused, but somehow linked it back to Clarke and her not being here. "What _exactly_ did I do?"

"Let's see; You run away when you see her, you straight-up avoid her, when we invite you out you come up with bullshit excuses not to see her, you missed her fucking birthday-" He winced. He remembered her birthday, they were all going a few towns over for a new club opening, he didn't go, of course. "Oh, should I not continue?" She was being painfully sarcastic.

"I get it. I'm an asshole."

"Yup. And you broke my friend and drove her into depression. At the moment she is sitting on her couch in stained sweats and a nasty tank top binge watching FRIENDS, all because you fucking suck."

"I get that!" And he did. He knew his plan was terrible from the start. But now that he'd gone through with it, he didn't know how to fix it. "How do I make things better?"

Octavia let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Maybe tell her the fucking truth? That'd probably be a good start. Apologize? Grovel? All good options."

She huffed, grabbing the groups drinks and walking back to their table. Bellamy looked down at the bar and noticed that she had left him a shot, he rolled his eyes before throwing it back and walking out of the bar towards Clarke's apartment.

He stood in front of her door for a while, really just pondering if this was a good idea. Octavia could have been lying. Clarke could be fine and just had work or something. But there was also a chance his sister was telling the truth and he made Clarke feel like shit, which he just couldn't have. He knocked on her door and regretted it instantly, wanting to just bolt down the hallway and down the stairs, but that seemed a bit worse than blowing her off.

" _If you aren't delivering my Chinese food, go away_." She was muffled through the door and he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He knocked again, hearing a long string of curse words before the door flung open.

And instantly he felt like shit. Clarke, indeed, was in stained, oversized sweatpants and a grimy tank top he just happened to recognize as the one he spilled beer on.

"What." It was less of question more of an accusation.

"I came to apologize."

"Hmm, I'm going to assume you _didn't_ decide to do that on your own."

"I mean, O suggested it, but she didn't order me to come over."

"Oh, how chivalrous." But she moved to let him enter the apartment.

He walked in cautiously, as though she was leading him to his death.

"I am sorry."

"Thanks." She still stood by the door while he stood awkwardly between the entryway and the living room. They were silent for a while, her just glaring holes into his head. "So are you actually tell me what I did wrong or are you just a fucking jerk?"

He scratches the back of his neck. "A fucking jerk?"

"Seriously? So you've been avoiding me- for _weeks_ \- because you have the shittiest personality ever? Are you fucking joking me?!"

"Ok, it's a bit more complicated-"

"Then explain. And I don't want some excuse or half-assed explanation. I want the full truth and I want it now, otherwise get out and don't talk to me again. Because this is fucking shitty, and I don't like feeling like this."

 _Could you hate yourself anymore? Doubtful_.

"Fine. Do you really want the truth? It's going to be awkward and you're still not going to want to talk to me."

"It can't be _that_ bad, Bellamy. I'm sure you're psyching yourself out."

 _Oh, how wrong you are..._

"Fine." He took a deep breath, prepared to spit this all out in one breath to save time and be kicked out sooner. "I spilled beer on you, saw your..." he gestures to her chest, "And then left because, fuck you, you're hot and I got turned on. And being the fucking shitty person I am I have a sex dream about you, but I figured, hey, she doesn't know. It won't be a big deal unless I make it a big deal. And then we hang out at the coffee shop you work at and your wear the actual shortest skirt you could, which I'm still confident is against the health code, but I digress. So I just kind of ran before anyone could notice..." He makes another awkward toward his lower half, "And then the only time we were invited to hang out together was to go out and when we got out you wear those tiny, clingy dresses and I couldn't do that so I avoided you to save myself. I am so fucking sorry I missed your birthday, I thought this thing would be gone by now, but it's not and I didn't want to make you feel awkward on your birthday so I didn't go. But," He held out a small box with a fake bow glued on the lid, "I did get you a present when I planned on going. Anyway, you can hit me or kick me out now..."

She stood wide-eyed and baffled by all the information that had just been thrown at her. She took the box and opened it to find a necklace with a crown pendant.

"Uh, thanks?" She sounded unsure of herself, still trying to process all the information. "Um, sit. I'm...I'm getting something to drink. This demands alcohol." She wandered into her kitchen, tilting her head as if she was trying to reason with someone.

He sat on the edge of the couch, ready to be kicked out at any point.

She came back with a large bottle of Monty's moonshine she had most likely gotten as a birthday present.

She sat in the armchair to his right, taking a swig while staring at her coffee table with serious concentration. After minutes had gone by (it sure felt like hours, though) she spoke up again.

"Was it, at least, good?"

"Huh?" He was just shocked out of his silence mostly.

"Was it good?"

"Was what good?"

"The sex- Or the sex dream, I mean."

He gave her a completely dumbfounded look.

"What?" She asked innocently.

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" He was basically yelling at this point, "It was you! Of course, it was good!"

"Thank you?" She was laughing, though.

"Wait, does this seriously _not_ bother you?"

"Ok, why the hell do you think I did that stuff?" He looked completely lost. "I ran into, causing you spill your drink on me. I wore a very small skirt. I continued to wear hot outfits. Fuck you, I wanted attention."

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. _Well, you have my attention now, Princess..._

She caught him staring at her chest and laughed.

"Yay! I win!"

"Huh?"

"I got the attention I wanted." She was smirking now.

"So you were just doin this to tease me? Not nice, Princess..."

Someone knocked on the door and she stood up to answer it.

"Hey, I didn't say you couldn't do anything about it." She said with a wink before opening the door to get her food delivery.


	18. Blake Hates Collins

Genre: Comedy / Romance / Drama(?) /

Rated: T

Word Count: 4,105

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Finn Collins / Nathan Miller / Octavia Blake / Raven Reyes / John Murphy / Aurora Blake / Abigail Griffin / Diana Sydney /

Characters Mentioned: Stevens (OMC) /

Relationships: Bellamy/Clarke / Clarke/Finn (mentioned)(broken up) / Raven/Finn (mentioned)(broken up) / Octavia/MC (mentioned) / Clarke/FC (mentioned)(broken up) /

Summary: Here's something to set the record straight: Bellamy Blake f**king _hates_ Finn Collins. It couldn't be much simpler. There were so many reasons. And there were so many reasons that didn't even involve Clarke. She just happened to be one of them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot /

A/N: Song - Who Are You, Really? by Mikki Ekko

* * *

Here's something to set the record straight: Bellamy Blake fucking _hates_ Finn Collins.

It couldn't be much simpler.

There were so many reasons. And there were so many reasons that didn't even involve Clarke.

Not that Bellamy particularly cared about the girl. She was a bit of a loner and no one really knew all that much about her- well except for the fact that her ex-boyfriend was Finn Collins and they broke up because he made her the other woman.

Which, come on, that's something only an asshole does.

Clarke may not be Bellamy's favorite person, but she's a decent and good human being. She really didn't deserve any of what happened.

* * *

 **A Few Weeks Earlier**

Bellamy was sitting in the cafeteria when everyone started to clear out.

"What's goin' on? Lunch doesn't end for another twenty."

Miller shrugged and went back to focusing on the Trig. assignment he skipped the night before. But all thoughts were interrupted when Murphy came charging towards the table.

"Holy shit! Griffin just got bitch slapped by some hot chick and now Collins is on the ground because she kicked him and they're both yelling at him." He was rushing out the words, already out of breath before running back outside to rejoin the mayhem.

Miller calmly packed away his things, accepting that he would fail the test that was coming in less than a half an hour, and rose to follow Murphy.

Walking out into the courtyard both boys saw the exact scene that had been described.

Collins was on his knees begging; which girl, no one knew. Clarke's face was red and had the beggings of a bruise in the shape of a hand. And there was a hot girl who was pissed. After he finished his dumb schpiel, both girls remained angry and unconvinced; they started yelling at him again in unison. Finn tried to go with the begging again, but when he didn't target a specific girl it made it so much worse.

"Fucking- You're so pathetic! You can't even _admit_ you cheated on me! And now you're begging _both of us_ to take you back?!" The unknown girl spat at him.

"No- No I'm not..."

"Alright then, which one were you talking to? Me or Raven?" Clarke seemed pissed but anyone with eyes could see she was hurt.

He took a minute of stuttering and scrambling for words that they both almost just walked away. But, being the idiot Collins is, he chose to speak.

"You. Of course, it's you, Clarke." She scoffed and looked at him in complete unbelief.

"Really? So you're going to throw away three years of a relationship over four months? Are you fucking kidding me right now?!"

There was no win for the guy. Whatever he said was going to be wrong.

Again, anyone with eyes could see that.

But, again, Finn Collins is an idiot.

"I thought that's what you wanted?"

"I _want_ the truth. I _want_ you to admit you betrayed Raven. I _want_ you to admit you fucking used me. I _want_ you to grow the fuck up and accept responsibility." Yeah, she was hurt alright.

"I...I-" His words were cut off by Raven grabbing Clarke's face and pulling her in for a deep kiss, causing 'oohs' and 'oh shits' to spread through the crowd.

Clarke accepted the kiss and grabbed Raven's waist, only letting go when the latina broke off and turned back to the idiot on the ground.

"Yeah, she's a better kisser than you. I think I'll keep her instead." With that, Raven grabbed Clarke's wrist and dragged her back to the parking lot where everyone heard a car rip out, leaving Dumbass Collins kneeling on the ground.

* * *

 **Present**

Alright, so _maybe_ she deserved Raven. But that was more of a "we just got cheated on, let's hook up to get back at him" kind of thing. Granted, her truck still came and picked the blonde up daily, but Raven was hooking up with other students from Walden who were not Clarke.

But back to the point.

Bellamy Blake fucking _hates_ Finn Collins. And there were so many reasons to, but the main one was that he was just an all around jackass.

Exhibit A: Following around his ex, pleading for her to 'just listen and let him explain'.  
Exhibit B: Pouting and angrily glaring at anyone who tried to talk to said ex.  
Exhibit C (and the one that made Bellamy hate him the most): Not exactly talking shit about his ex, but completely objectifying her to the friends he had left (the kind of guys who congratulated other guys on getting several girls and gave bonus points for several girls at once).

And that's how Bellamy ended up where he is now. Sitting in the nurse's office, holding an ice pack in between his left eye and right fist.

He is the absolute last person to go around slut-shaming; can't be a hypocrite. So when he was standing at his locker and heard Finn talking about Clarke and what she looked like and what she had done with him, well, that's when he kind of lost it.

He can't stress this enough: he _hates_ Finn and Clarke is not his favorite person- hell she's not even his friend- but he didn't like slut-shaming, period. It was a pure coincidence that those two were involved.

So now he is double shocked. Clarke has now just walked in with a bloody nose and is followed by one of the douchebags that like to follow Finn around.

"What happened to you, Princess?" He was trying to be smart with her, but even he knew it was hard to take him seriously the way he was positioned.

"Oh, you know, some assholes can't take a fucking hint of when to back off." She pointedly glared at the boy who was cowering away from her, holding a disposable ice pack to his crotch and a tissue to his cracked lip.

She directed her attention back to him, "What the hell happened to you?"

"Oh, you know, some assholes like to talk shit about their exes." Just as he finished speaking, Collins came back in; tissues shoved up his nose, dried blood coming from his nose and lip, bruises coming to light on his cheek.

He took his attention off Collins, sparing a glance at Clarke only to find her smiling. He'd say it was a good look for her if it wasn't for the blood-soaked paper sticking out of her nostrils. He's tempted to ask how she got a bloody nose, mostly to see if the asshole _actually_ hit her, but doesn't get the chance because of three adults entering the, now increasingly small, room.

"Oh god..." Clarke groans, sinking into a chair.

He recognizes his mother (she, of course, had to be called to pick him up. He was obviously was suspended for a week. _Worth it_ , he thought) and Principal Sydney, but the other woman was new. Based on the blonde's groans, he assumed it was her mother.

"Alright, what happened?" Ah, yes. Principal Diana Sydney; not actually capable of handling situation unless a parent or board member are present.

"Bell'me hit meh," Finn mumbled with his swollen jaw.

Again, Bellamy found Clarke smiling.

"I'm aware. Why did you assault him, Mr. Blake?" He could feel eyes on him.

Did he really want to bring the real reason to light? With the girl who was targeted in the room? Yeah. Take the fucker down a couple pegs, let him know he wasn't invincible.

"He was insulting Clarke behind her back. Saying rude things about her. Objectifying her and her body. And sharing personal details that I'm almost certain she didn't want to be shared."

He looked away from the woman, finding Clarke's mom focused on her phone, his own mother looking like she wanted to kill the boy in question, the cowering boy cowering even more, and Clarke about ready to actually kill Finn.

"Is this true, Mr. Collins?" Yeah, because he'd admit to that.

"Of course not!" Clarke scoffed and had a sarcastic smile on her face. "What?"

"Oh, like you're so trustworthy."

"Clarke, don't give attitude." _Really? Now? Now is the time you choose to step in, lady?_ Did she even hear what they were talking about?

"Ms. Griffin, why are you even in here? What happened to your nose?" Ms. Sydney sighed like she had so much to do and this was on the very bottom of the list.

"This fu- jerk decided it was neat to slap my ass when I came out of the locker room. I kicked him, he shoved me into the lockers." _Well, that's_ obviously _not the full story_ , he thought. But she sounded completely nonchalant about it. Like no one really cared. Looking again, he could tell why.

Her mother's face was buried in her phone again. Aurora's face said she was close to beating the two boys who decided to target the blonde and she was close to slapping Clarke's mother for not paying attention to her daughter. He could not relate to his mother more.

Ms. Sydney sighed again, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Mr. Blake you're free to go. Return next week. Mr. Collins, the same for you when your dad gets here. Mr. Stevens follow me to my office. Ms. Griffin, you can choose to go back to class or go home and..." She trailed off. _Deal with probably being sexually assaulted at school? Is that what you're thinking? Because that's what I'm thinking..._ He finished for her.

"She'll go back to class," were the last words spoken from her mother before she kissed her on the cheek and mumbled about having to rush back to work.

"Of course I will..." She muttered angrily, slamming the chair back under the desk before exiting the office.

Bellamy and his mother followed soon after, seeing Clarke pushing things around in her locker before they left the premises.

"Dear lord, offer that girl a ride home."

He hesitated. Seriously, they weren't even friends. But he knew if he didn't say something his mom would.

He walked over to her, hearing the faintest of sniffles. "Clarke do you want a ride home?"

She jumped at his voice, rushing to wipe, what he presumed to be, tears off of her face. "It's fine, you don't have to do that..."

He wanted to roll his eyes. Of course, she'd say that. She's Clarke. Was he expecting her to just agree?

"Look, my mom offered to drive you home, I'm pretty sure if we don't leave soon she's going to go back and beat Collins and Stevens black and blue. So, do you want a ride home? Yes or yes?" _Good, Bellamy, take away her options. That'll win you points for sure..._

She looked over his shoulder, he followed her gaze, to see a tall burly man who he recognized as Mr. Collins, sauntering down the hall with a proud smirk painted across his face.

"Sure, a ride sounds great." She practically whispered before walking off in the direction of his mother.

Could he stress it enough? Bellamy Blake fucking _hates_ Finn Collins.

He followed behind the two women. Clarke gave his mother her address before climbing into the back seat. The drive was silent in the sense that no one spoke, but the radio played softly; some 80's song off 95.7FM.

It wasn't until the radio started to fizz out with static that he realized they were in a sketchier part of town. They stopped in front of a large brown apartment complex that just _looked_ like it was falling apart.

"Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Blake." She muttered gathering her stuff to get out of the car.

"You're absolutely welcome, sweetie. I'm sorry about all of that."

"It's ok. Thanks again. See yuh, Bellamy." She gave a small wave before shoulder checking the front door to the building open.

 _Maybe Princess isn't really a princess after all..._

The week he was suspended for went by pretty quickly, he just stayed home and didn't learn instead of going to school and not learning.

Other than that, his routine didn't change much. He still picked Miller and Octavia up from school every day, did his chores, went to work.

Friday was the only day that was different. He and Miller were walking with Octavia down to the park by the lake. When they stopped at the stop sign an ugly orange jeep without doors pulled up, music blasting loudly. He certainly didn't expect to see Clarke and Raven sitting in the front seats, laughing their asses off. And he definitely didn't expect that once they made eye contact she would duck down and tear off down the street.

"Looks like the privileged princess still can't bear to be seen with any of us poorer folk." Miller joked, making Octavia snort. Bellamy was just upset.

Did she really think she was that much better than them? Or was it something else? Because, he felt, if she had a car (even an ugly, orange, doorless jeep) she would've driven herself home that day, not accept a ride from his mom.

He came back on Monday to find that nothing had changed. Finn still wandered after Clarke like she hung the fucking moon, Clarke tried her best to ignore him, his friends made really shitty attempts at her, and, weirdest of all, she ignored Bellamy. Ok- so they weren't really friends, but she always had the decency to speak to him and just say a random hello every once in a while. But no. He didn't get that.

She ducked her head when she passed him in the hallway, she skipped AP Bio and U.S. History, during lunch she just got her food and ran back to the main building. It was weird. Like _he_ had done something to offend _her_. Which- if anything- she was offending him by acting like this.

Unfortunately for him, it seemed to put him out in a very noticeable way. By Thursday Octavia was ready to smack him in the face; she had the civility to smack him upside the head first.

"What the hell is your problem? You've been moping all week. What? Did a girl _not_ want to fuck you for once?" Miller snorted at the girl's crudeness.

"Nah, he's just pissed the princess is deliberately ignoring him."

"Shut up, Miller."

"Seriously? You're mopey because Clarke won't give you the time of day? Are you fucking kidding me?!" Octavia burst out laughing, causing Miller to let out the occasional chuckle.

"No. And I'm not mopey, if anything, you're mopey because your boyfriend is out of town." That shut down her laughter, causing the girl to slump back in her seat.

"Shut up. He's visiting his mom, she just happens to live in the same state as his ex, I'm not worried."

"Very convincing, Meryl." Miller made the comment but she punched Bellamy in the arm.

"Hey! What was that for?!"

"Your friend. He was a dick."

They sat in silence for a while, stopping at a light when Octavia turned up the radio really loud. Her favorite song that no one really knew played.

 _So you're feeling tied up to a sense of control_  
 _And make decisions that you think are your own_  
 _You are a stranger here, why have you come?_  
 _Why have you come, lift me higher, let me look at the sun_  
 _Look at the sun and once I hear them clearly, say_

They were in another sketchy part of town so it didn't raise _much_ alarm when they heard a gunshot. But just as the chorus started to ring out and the light turned green, Bellamy had to slam on the breaks, almost hitting someone. They all looked up from where they were wretched forward, prepared to yell at the dumbass who ran in front of the car when the blonde locks and blue eyes stood out and stopped everyone short.

 _Who, who are you really?_  
 _And where, where are you going?_  
 _I've got nothing left to prove_  
 _Cause I've got nothing left to lose_  
 _See me bare my teeth for you_  
 _Who, who are you?_

"Clarke?" She stared, wide-eyed for a minute before another gunshot rang out, causing her to look back in the direction she came from and continue running in the direction she was headed.

"And don't fuckin come back little bitch!" They turned to see a large man in a white apron covered in blood holding a shotgun.

Who the fuck was Clarke Griffin?

The next day Clarke just didn't come to school. And, normally, that wouldn't even phase Bellamy. Ok, this girl in two of his classes who occasionally says hi is absent, big deal. But she was chased with a gun yesterday, it feels appropriate to worry.

He texts Octavia, she knows Clarke better than he does.

* * *

 _ **Today Friday 5/12**_

 _ **12:38 PM**_  
 **Bellamy**  
 _Hey, have you seen Clarke today?_

* * *

It was a perfectly rational question, only his sister would see it as something else.

* * *

 _ **12:40 PM**_  
 **Octavia**  
 _Hey.  
Nope, sorry, girlfriend skipped today_

 _ **12:41 PM  
**_ **Bellamy  
** _Not my girlfriend  
I just happened to be concerned  
Seeing as she was chased with a gun and all_

 _ **12:43 PM  
**_ **Octavia  
** _MMHMM  
SURE  
Oh, lol jk, she just showed up for gym  
...with a bloody lip and bruised cheek and a couple cuts...  
Alright, maybe you had a right to be concerned..._

* * *

Honestly, who the fuck was Clarke Griffin?

She had History with him next period and he settled to ask her then about what happened, but she skipped, naturally.

When the school day was over he walked out to his car to find Octavia laying on the roof talking on the phone. He walked on the driver's side, opening the door first.

"I'm driving in two minutes, I'd get off the roof if I were you." She rolled her eyes at him before sitting up.

Getting in the car, she said bye to whoever it was and hung up.

"A: Miller isn't coming today, didn't say why and B: I was talking to Clarke, you'd think you'd be decent enough to let me do that."

She didn't elaborate, causing him to just stare at her with an exasperated look on his face.

"What?"

" _Oh my god_ \- Octavia what happened?!"

" _OHHH!_ Ok, well she's not a criminal or anything and she's not like involved with any gangs or shit, so...drop that worry." And sure enough, a small weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "The nasty Jeep was Finn's, Raven hotwired it and they took it for a joyride, leaving it at the state line. And the guy with the gun was a butcher, but he also happened to be that kid's uncle; the one she beat up for harassing her. Anyway..."

"And the face?"

"I think it's just genetics that makes her look like that, but you're the one in AP Bio, so you-"

"No! You said she looked beat up."

"Oh. Yeah. Her ex's new girlfriend came to town and decide the way prove herself was to beat up her girlfriend's ex. Not smart considering the girl was five foot two and not very strong. Only got a few good hits in before Clarke had her pinned." And just like that, the rest of the weight was gone and replaced by surprising pride.

"Huh."

"Yup. Anywho, so if we can just not mention that we saw her either of those times, we're good."

"I mean, grand theft auto _is_ kind of a pricey bail."

"Exactly." They both laughed as he pulled out of his parking space. They looked to the curb and saw Clarke climbing into Raven's beige pick-up; Bellamy could see the facial damage Octavia referred to earlier.

"She's actually really cool," Octavia commented off-handedly as they pulled onto the main road. "Totally out of your league."

"Mmhmm, ok." He let out a small laugh.

"Seriously. I have no idea why she likes you."

He gawked at his sister, "What?"

"Really? Are you _both_ oblivious? She has a weird crush on you, has since like sixth grade." The small brunette said it all with such nonchalance while she stared at her phone. "And she doesn't seem to notice the way you stare at her. You know, for being two of the smartest people I know, you're kinda stupid."

"Loving friend, supportive sister; both things that will not be on your headstone." She stuck her tongue out at him before returning her attention to the mobile device.

He returned his attention to the road in front of him, trying not to focus on his sister's words.

 _Clarke likes me..._

It really was one of those situations where he didn't even know he wanted it until he had it, but now he had no idea how to _actually_ get it.

The next day she was back in class, lacerations and all. She sat in the front of the room, ignoring the stares she was receiving from both the students and the teacher. When History was over, she rushed out of the classroom before he had a chance to talk to her. AP Bio wasn't for another couple hours, so he figured he should at least figure out what he was going to say to her.

Turns out he was wrong, he didn't have a couple hours, he had a minute or so.

Clarke was trying to get stuff out of her locker but had fucking Collins crowding her. Bellamy could see that she was uncomfortable if that grimace on her face was anything to go off of. He walked up to her. _Now or never you dumbshit..._

"Hey, Clarke, I was wondering if you wanted to meet up for coffee later? So we could talk about the project." She looked confused for a moment but finally registered his intentions.

"Um, yeah, sure. If you want we can talk now, I don't have any plans for lunch."

Bellamy could practically feel the daggers being shot into him from Finn's glare.

"Yeah, sounds great." He gave her a genuine smile and waited for her to grab her books. Once she shut her locker, she gave him a big grin and walked next to him, not sparing Collins a second glance. Once they were waiting in line for food she finally spoke up.

"Okay, I feel like I owe you a few thanks."

"Oh yeah?" He felt a bit smug, she was actually smiling and it was because of him.

"Yeah, you keep saving me."

"Is that right? Well, if that's the case, then I suppose you _do_ owe me a thank you or two." She let out a small laugh as they walked over to the table he usually shared with Miller.

"Thank you."

He scrunched up his face in fake consideration. "Not enough."

She was shocked for a second before he continued. "How about, we actually go get that coffee. But, y'know, as a date, not to talk about a project that doesn't exist."

Her open mouth closed as she ducked her head to try and hide her smile.

"Yeah, okay. I could do that."

"Great." He smiled and started eating the food they dared to call pizza.

He can't stress it enough: Bellamy Blake despises Finn Collins. It's just that he feels the need to thank the guy, because if he hadn't been a complete dumbass, Bellamy never would be where he is now; in the driver's seat of his car, after his coffee date with Clarke, with her straddling his lap attacking his mouth with her own. So yeah, he hates him, but he's also a tad grateful.


	19. Everyone Deserves An Apology

Genre: Angst / Drama / Comedy /

Rated: T

Word Count: 7,624

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / John Murphy / Anya / Jasper Jordan / Lincoln / Atom / Roma Bragg / Wells Jaha / Raven Reyes /

Characters Mentioned: Myles / Finn Collins / Octavia Blake / Harper McIntyre / Connor / Fox / Roan / FC / FC

Relationships: Clarke/Finn (mentioned)(broken up) / Raven/Finn (mentioned)(broken up) / Lincoln/Octavia (mentioned) / Jasper/FC (mentioned) / Atom/FC (mentioned)

Summary: A Tumblr prompt I saw and enjoyed; Person A pisses off a witch by acting childish so she actually turns them into a child (like 12 or 13, the most awkward stage of puberty) and they have to face their friends like that, pretty much until they realize how shitty they were to people.

Disclaimer: I own nothing /

A/N: I'm tired and ready to crash. By the way, a new fact about me? I no longer go to school. According to the state, I'm a high school drop out at 16. Aren't I cool? Nah, just kidding kids, don't drop out. Get an education. It's a bad chapter, I know, it's okay to tell me that.  
By the way, on Ao3 I did open a story titled Bellarke Family Drabbles. It's exactly what I said, just like this drabble collection, except full of family stuff. And I did move the chapters 'Wedding Mishaps' and 'The Price We Pay For Cute Kids' over to it, but that's it. I am working on a new chapter for it at the moment. And I feel I should mention I am not going to open that collection story on here, just because it's simpler not to. Anywho, thanks.

*more notes at the end of the chapter*

* * *

In hindsight, Bellamy should've been nicer. But it's not _really_ his fault (it is), he didn't know the girl was an enchantress. If he'd known- nevermind, there's really no point for the defense to continue.

It's one hundred percent his fault. The enchantress was correct, he was a childish asshole.

He's twenty-eight and sitting in a bar with Murphy, which was already a bad plan, but to make matters worse they were rating girls.

" _See, blondie over there has a pretty face and a nice body, but absolutely no ass._ "

" _I mean, if I had to choose between the two, I'd probably pick the brunette. She has bigger tits._ "

" _Dare yuh to go get that girls number._ "

It was completely immature and the more he thinks about it the more he hates himself.

"Bellamy!" He can hear Murphy yell from his room, but it comes with a crack in his voice.

Bellamy hits his head against the mirror, sighing. He walks down the hallway of their apartment. He pushes open Murphy's door to find the same thing he'd just been doing. Staring in the mirror wondering what the hell was happening.

"Dude!" Murphy turned around to find his friend quite a bit shorter than he was the night before with slightly more acne. "What the fuck?!"

"I don't even know." He winced at his own voice; cracking and slightly higher.

"You don't know?! Dude! I'm a teenager! Nothing about this is okay!" He tries to flail his hands in the air but his greasy hair falls in his face, defeating the purpose.

"You think I don't know that. I'm also a teenager. And I _really_ don't want to be a teenager." Just as he's about to start screaming again, someone raps on the door three times.

The two look at each other for a moment before approaching the door; honestly, they were both just praying it wasn't the landlord. But no, it was one of the girls from the bar last night.

"Oh good, you're up." She gives a sly smile before pushing past them and shutting the door. "Nice place, sucks you can't own it."

"What are you talking about lady? Who are you?" Murphy tries to growl out, but it mostly looks like a puppy trying to intimidate an older dog.

"Your friend remembers me, don't you sweetie?" She gives another sly look towards Bellamy.

"You were at the bar last night..."

"Yes. We had a _fascinating_ conversation. I assume you remember that as well?"

He closes his eyes and runs his hand over his face.

"I...uh...I tried to get her number, but apparently, someone of my 'moves' were 'outdated and childish and I was an asshole for trying to hit her with that shit'." He repeats the conversation back to his friend.

"And that somehow translates to us being teenagers?!" Murphy was starting to get exasperated.

"You were both being childish, seems only fair you become the age you act." She says, grabbing an apple from their fruit bowl and taking a bite.

"You just _had_ to piss off the witch, didn't you? You prick." Murphy tried to blame it on him of course, but before Bellamy had a chance to defend himself the girl spoke up.

"Oh, he pissed me off. But _you_ pissed off my friend as well."

Bellamy stares at the boy, who is now even shorter than him, but Murphy keeps his gaze focused on the chick eating an apple.

"Do we get your name, lady who actively ruined our lives?"

"Anya. And I didn't ruin your lives, for christ sake, it's been less than an hour."

He runs his hand over his face, "Is this one of those 'learn a lesson' spells? Like we're gonna be teenagers-"

"Thirteen and fourteen."

"Until we apologize or something? Wait- thirteen?! _Fuck!_ "

"Giving me an apology would be a nice start, but yes this is one of those 'learn a lesson' spells." She smirks as she bites down on the apple again.

"I'm sorry for using super shitty and degrading pick-up lines on you." Bellamy figures he might as well get the ball rolling.

"Decent. Forgiven." There are two more knocks, Anya gets up and opens the door, letting another girl in. "And you?" She nods at Murphy.

"I apologize."

"For?" The new girl prompts; Murphy winces.

"For being rude and probably offensive." She squints at him for a moment before nodding.

"Accepted. Forgiven." And then she's gone.

"Is that it? Are we done?" He sounds desperate and Bellamy doesn't blame him, but he feels like he should at least try to keep his poker face with Anya around.

"God, no. See while I was fuckin' with your brains I got to see all the shitty things you've done-" Both boys let out a whine at that, "-and I won't make you apologize to all of them, but definitely the worst ones."

"How are we suppose to know the shittiest things we've done?" Hoping he might've found a loophole, memories aren't always easy to...well, remember.

But Anya clearly sees through him, "Today is just not your day." She mockingly shakes her head before pulling out her phone, "Lucky you, I wrote down what I found to be the worst."

They both groaned again.

"And there's nothing we can do, besides this, to fix our...situation?"

"No. You are both entitled, disrespectful, childish, idiots. You're going to learn how to deal with the consequences of your actions now since you never did before."

Bellamy wants to object, but he doesn't think getting drinks thrown in his face is a very big consequence.

"Yeah, fine. What are the lists?"

"I'm going to give you each a name and where the person is currently at, you're going to go apologize and get their forgiveness. Don't come back without it, otherwise no change-backs."

"You don't think it's going to be weird to have some random kids show up and apologize for things we did as adults?"

"Figure it out. Alright, first: John, go see Jasper Jordan." The boy winced, all the memories of the kid flashing back to him. "Bellamy, go find Atom Adams."

"Alright, no. He deserved what he got-"

"You hung him out of your treehouse from his feet because he broke up with your sister." He knew what he did, but hearing it from someone else points out just how terrible it was.

"How are we supposed to get to these places?" Anya changed their clothes to fit their small teen forms, so once they were ready to go it hit Bellamy. "We can't drive."

She heavy sighed, snapping her fingers. A small cloud of smoke came out of nowhere and when it cleared she was holding two metro cards. "Best get moving."

She made herself comfortable in the apartment while the two ran to the subway station down the street.

Both guys were downtown, but Bellamy's guy was three stops before Murphy's.

"Just go, I'll meet you back at the apartment afterward." He nodded at his friend, proceeding to run up the steps.

He got to the address Anya had given him, knocking a few times and had a woman with a baby on her hip answer the door.

"Um, yes?"

"Hi, is Atom home?"

"Are you one of his students?" _Atom became a teacher? Really?_

"Yes, mam."

"Um, ok. Atom, one of the kids is here." She motioned for him to come inside but he insisted on staying out.

"Hey..." He trailed off looking for a name.

"Look, this is going to sound super weird-"

"It's already weird, kid."

"Yeah, it gets weirder." He explained everything, praying to any god that would listen that this man didn't think he was crazy and institutionalize Bellamy.

"You're right. It got weirder." He had stepped out into the hallway, shutting the front door. "So, Bellamy..."

"'Sup."

He let out a laugh, "Wow, I haven't thought about that since...I don't know- Graduation?" He took a guess.

"So you're not mad?"

"I'm plenty pissed, but-" He looked back at the door where the baby could be heard, "-I get why you did what you did. So, yeah, I forgive you."

"Thanks, man. Seriously, you're saving me here."

Atom had opened the door, leaving Bellamy with a final thought, "Yeah, just hope that lady doesn't send you to blondie's residence. That could get ugly."

It confused Bellamy the whole way home, _who the hell is blondie?_

When he got back to the apartment Murphy was sitting on the couch and Anya was nowhere to be seen.

"You fix things with Jordan?"

"Yeah, he thanked me, somehow me hurting him got him a girlfriend, so...there's that."

"Huh."

"Yeah."

"So...where's witch bitch?"

"Don't know. You think she's gonna drag this out? One apology a day?"

"No, I'm not. And you just got my forgiveness, is it really smart to call me 'witch bitch'?" Anya walked back down the hall, only a towel wrapped around her.

The two teens looked at the ground, blushing, their minds trying to think of anything else.

"Oh, I forgot you were pubescent boys." She rolled her eyes and grabbed her phone again. "Bellamy; Roma Bragg. John-"

"Murphy."

" _John_ ; Myles Smith."

"Great." They turned to leave, but Bellamy stopped.

"Hey, how many are there?"

"Four for you. Six for John."

"Why do I get Six?! He's _way_ more of a dick than I am! And it's Murphy."

"Because, Johnathan," Bellamy didn't like the woman, but it was kind of funny watching her interactions with Murphy, "Yours will most certainly go by quicker than his."

He continued to glare at the woman, muttering, "That's because he fucks up monumentally."

"Thanks, dude, glad to see you have my back."

"No problem, man." He pats Bellamy on the shoulder twice before exiting the flat.

"Who-...who's the fourth?" She glances up from her phone, one eyebrow raised.

"Go get Roma to forgive you and you'll find out." _And thank you, winner of the vaguest-woman-in-the-world award._

He scowled but left the apartment. Fuck Roma, he didn't _really_ do anything wrong- flashes of how he fucked her over popped up behind his eyelids- alright, he probably screwed her over pretty bad.

 _What the fuck, Bellamy? I left this girl at Prom. I_ ditched _her, to go hang out with other girls. Way to go, buddy. Very smooth._

(Un)lucky for him, her address was only a few blocks from his own.

He knocked on her door.

 _Alright, Atom bought the truth but there's really no way to know if Roma will. She'll probably call the cops if I'm being honest with myself._

He knew he had a point. But she did believe him.

"So, Bellamy Blake, someone finally got you." She was crossing her arms, leaning against her doorframe.

"Yeah..." He scratched the back of his neck, avoiding her gaze, though he could feel it burning holes in his head. "I did come here to apologize. I am actually sorry. That was probably one of my shitter moments."

"Yeah, mine too." Her jaw ticked a couple times, "Fine. I forgive you. But, you do know that it was a super fucked up thing to do, right?"

"Absolutely! I can't believe I actually did that..."

"Alright. Fine, you are forgiven."

"Thank you! Thank you, Roma, seriously you-"

"Blake, just go. I'm good with never seein' your mug ever again." She said with a small smile on her face before shutting the door.

 _Alright, that went a lot better than expected._

The walk back to his apartment goes by fairly quickly, Anya is sitting on the couch watching _Friends_ when he gets back.

"Now we wait for John."

Murphy comes back ten minutes later.

"He forgive you?"

"Fucker was amazed I knew a witch. Forgave me immediately and proceeded to ask me a fuckton of question I didn't even know how to answer."

"Nice."

"Mm, great for the both of you. And I'm an enchantress, witches are different. Anywho..." She steps over Bellamy's gangly limbs to get to her bag. "New people. Bellamy...you get Lincoln. And John, you get Wells Jaha."

"Fuck." Was said in unison.

"Yeah, it started out easy and gets progressively worse the farther we go down, so..." She dumps her phone in her bag.

"Lincoln isn't in the state. He and my sister are on vacation in Hawaii."

"Then I'd get your phone. John, you don't have an excuse, get moving."

Murphy sighed, trudging back out, but not before muttering, "It's Murphy, not that difficult."

Bellamy grabbed his phone and went after his friend.

"You know, I'm pretty sure I never told her my first name, so I don't know why-"

"Dude, she's magic."

"She could still respect my name choice."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go mopey."

They get on the subway before he calls Lincoln.

" _Hello?_ "

"Uh, hey," His voice cracks, making him grimace at himself, "Hey, Lincoln. It's Bellamy."

" _Bellamy? Are you alright? You sound sick._ "

He scratches the back of his neck, feeling completely uncomfortable in his appearance even though Lincoln can't actually see him.

"Uh, no. No, I'm good. I just...I- Someone recently pointed out how much of an asshole I am, in a pretty extreme way, and I remembered I never really apologized for...you know, acting the way I did when you and O started dating." _At least I don't have to explain the whole enchantress-teenage thing..._

He stays quiet for a while, Bellamy starts to think the call got cut off from being on the subway. " _Um, no I don't think you did...But it's fine, really._ "

"No, it's really not. I mean, I know I'm a dick, but the first time I met you I punched you. That was pretty unfair. As were the insults. Nothing about that day was good. That's why I'm apologizing." He hears some mumbling in the background and assumes it's his sister.

" _Your sister wants to make sure you aren't some kind of born-again Christian looking for penance...She told me I'm not allowed to forgive you if you are..._ "

"What? No! I just feel bad."

" _Alright._ " He still sounded pretty hesitant, like it was all some joke that was going to blow up in his face.

Murphy jerked his head to signal they were getting off. "Anyway, I'm sorry for being an asshole towards you and any other actions that showed hatred directed at you."

" _Already forgiven. But thank you for the apology, it means a lot._ "

"Uh, you're welcome, man. Anyway, tell O I said hi and hope you have fun."

" _Will do._ "

He hangs up as they approach Wells' apartment building.

"This is going to be shitty, you know that right?"

"Why do you think I'm here dumbass? I want to watch this crash a burn."

"Jeezus, I need new friends..." Murphy grumbles just before entering the building.

Bellamy leans against the wall opposite the flat, crossing his arms and smirking. Wells' opened the door.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jaha. Look, this is weird and messed up and you aren't going to believe me at all but I'm going to say it anyway. I'm John Murphy, I fucked up at a bar last night and ended up pissing off a wit- _enchantress_ and now I've been turned into a thirteen-year-old until I apologize to the people I fucked over the most in my life. You are number three. So I am desperately sorry for everything rude I every said to you and everything douchey I ever did to you."

Murphy explained it a lot better than he did. Far less stuttering and awkwardness. But just as many voice-cracks.

"Uh...thanks?" He looked up, finally noticing Bellamy. "Bellamy?"

"'Sup."

He let out a wry laugh, "wow, yeah have fun with your deal. We're good Murphy."

"So you forgive me?"

"Yeah, I forgive you." He looked back to Bellamy and smiled, shaking his head.

"I'm so confused who did I fuck over so bad that _other_ people know about it and I don't."

"You _seriously_ don't remember?" He seemed shocked.

"No!"

"Wow. Yeah, have fun with that. Thanks for the apology, Murphy."

After the door was shut, Murphy twisted around, nodding at himself. "Yeah, didn't see it going that well."

"Who did I fuck over so badly?"

The other boy simply shrugged and proceeded to exit the building.

They returned to their flat to find Anya playing Mario Kart 8 on a WiiU he was certain they didn't own before.

"Finally," She let out an exasperated sigh, pausing the game, "John; Connor Matthews, Fox Jordan, and Raven Reyes." She handed him a list with the addresses

"Shit..."

"And Bellamy..." She looked up at him with a smirk, "Clarke Griffin."

The name was familiar but he could barely remember- a massive head rush sent the images of the tiny blonde freshmen from high school, the images of him tormenting her, her entire first year.

"Fuck..."

"I'll drive you, she lives pretty far. The closest metro stop is over half an hour, driving, from her place." Anya offered.

"Do I get a ride?" John asked, desperate now that it was getting dark.

"No. Go make amends." She grabbed her purse and walked to the door, looking back to find Bellamy standing in the same spot, staring at the floor.

"She's going to kill me."

"I would. Now let's go."

They drive for what must've been an hour, but it felt a lot longer. He literally tortured this girl for no reason other than he was a dick.

"What happens if she doesn't forgive me, again?" He hates how meek his voice sounds, the cracking and crescendo certainly don't help.

"You stay fourteen until she does."

He goes back to being silent until they pull up to a large farm house outside of town.

"Alright go."

"She lives here?" It's been ten years, he figures she probably could've found a guy to marry and settle down with, but he didn't see the farm house. Or the many, many cars...?

"Yes. Now go, we don't have forever you know." She practically pushes him out of the car.

He slowly approaches the door, like it's an attack dog that's going to tell the residents he's there before he's prepared to let them know. To be fair, he probably deserves the shot in the ass Anya sends at him from the car, he's just standing in front of the door, not doing anything.

Bellamy does gather the courage to knock, eventually, but it disappears the second his hand returns to his side.

It was flung open with an annoyed, "What?" from a very pretty latina woman and a large blast of music hitting his ears.

"Uh..."

"No Minors, kid."

 _Minors?_

"No, is- uh- is Clarke Griffin here?" The woman narrows her eyes him in an extremely unnerving way.

"Yes." She answered slowly, "What's it to you?"

"I needed to talk to her about, uh...something..."

"And she knows you?"

"Yeah." _I think so? Though, she doesn't know fourteen-year-old me..._

She studies him for a moment longer, making him squirm and fidget under her gaze, before telling him to wait on the porch.

He lets out a relieved sigh when the door shuts, bending over to take a deep breath before moving to one of the chairs.

It's barely five minutes later that she comes out. Or- he assumes it's her, he hasn't seen her since she was fourteen, she probably changed quite a bit. He just wasn't expecting her to be _that_ different.

The assumption that she'd lose the thick glasses and braces was correct, so was the guess that the acne had most likely cleared up. But he did not expect to her to be, at least, fifty pounds smaller and have fairly large breasts that accentuated her curves. He also never would've guessed most of what he learns about her.

"Who the hell- Wait how old are you?"

"Uh, fourteen?"

"No... it's only been ten years..." She muttered to herself, "Alright, then who are you and why are you on my porch?"

"Um, so it's going to sound weird..."

"No."

"What?"

"I'm not giving you anything, that's why you're here right? One of your little friends tell you something?"

He could not be more confused.

"What? No. I have no idea what you're talking about. I was just saying-" He was interrupted when the latina came back out the door and motioned for Clarke to come over so she could whisper something in her ear, he also noticed Anya pulling away from the house.

 _Perfect. Now I'm stuck here._

"Look, kid, I have to deal with something inside, so just-" She seemed hesitant but relented, "Whatever, just stay close to me."

They entered the house, bombarded by the loud bass of the music and the people talking loudly. He followed Clarke through the house back to, what looked like, her bedroom.

"Just- "She motioned her open hand towards her bed, "Just sit and I'll listen to whatever when I fix this." With that, she shut the door and left him in the room; quiet except the occasional thump of the bass.

He went over what he was going to say to her in his head when the door was thrown open and another person was thrown on the floor. Bellamy looked up to find the latina woman from before glaring.

"Friend of yours?" She leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms.

Bellamy looked down finding- "Murphy?"

"Blake?"

The woman looked between the two. "Yeah, this is normal." She rolled her eyes and shut the door again.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Raven. That's her. The scary chick who actually threw me to the ground. We got in a car accident a few years back, damaged her spine- hence the brace. My insurance somehow got _her_ to pay _me_ even though it was clearly my fault."

"Damn..."

"Yeah." He shook his head as if he was trying to wipe the memory from his mind. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Clarke. Friends with Raven I guess."

"Huh, well-" But he didn't get to finish his thought as the door was opened again and Clarke entered.

"Alright, who the hell are you two?"

Murphy was left blinking, trying to accept Clarke's new look, while Bellamy was left stumbling over his words.

"Ok, so- super weird. I uh- Well, I kinda- I guess it wasn't- maybe if-oof!" Stopping when Murphy elbowed him in the stomach.

"Kid, spit it out. I have to go to work soon."

Bellamy was left speechless, attempting to figure out what she could possibly do and where the hell they were. But Murphy was still his same old asshole self.

"So...Where exactly is Reyes? I kinda need to talk to her."

"Busy." She spat out through her clenched teeth. "Either start talking or I'm having you removed from the premises."

"Ok! Look, can you just- Can you _please_ not call the police on us? I promise we aren't crazy."

She raised an eyebrow and looked at the two of them as if they _were_ crazy.

"Fine. Speak."

He decided to go for what he had decided to dub 'The Murphy Approach'.

"Ok, this is weird and messed up and you aren't going to believe me at all but I'm going to say it anyway." He inhaled deeply, preparing to spit this all out in one breath, "I'm Bellamy Blake, I screwed up at a bar last night and ended up pissing off a witch. She decided to teach me a lesson by turning me into a fourteen-year-old until I apologize to the people I majorly fucked over in my life. You're pretty much the worst one. And I am so incredibly sorry for everything rude I every said to you and all the times I acted like an asshole to you."

He finished, taking deep breaths to try and keep the panic attack he could feel rising up at bay.

Her face dropped the annoyed look it had and morphed into one of hurt and confusion. They were silent for a while before Murphy of all people decided now would be the right time to interject.

"Technically she was an enchantress, but I digress. Um, I still need to give that same spiel to Reyes...if you could help with that in any-"

"Are you fucking serious?"

"Yeah. Pretty serious, I'd like to go back to being an adult." Murphy answered, nonchalantly.

"No. Not you, I'll get Raven in a minute. You. Are you fucking kidding me?" She pointed at Bellamy.

"That I'm sorry? No. I'm super serious about that. It was literally the worst thing I've ever done in my life and I still have no explanation for why I did it."

"So you just decided, in your _eighteen_ -year-old mind, that it would be cool to torture a fourteen-year-old girl just for the hell of it? Do you even _know_ how much shit I had to put up with? I had to move my junior year. Ok? Do you get that? I had to move because you set up an image for me that seemed to continue even though you left."

 _Shit..._ No. Why would he know that? It wasn't right, what he did, but he didn't think it was _that_ bad.

"Do you know how many rumors were going around about me? Even in the year that you were there. Do you know? How about how I got called a slut? Bitch? Whore? Fatass? Worthless? A piece of shit lesbian? Any of these ringing a bell? No, of course not. Why would they? You know, I bet you didn't even think about me until today. I bet you completely forgot about how you effectively ruined my life."

She wasn't wrong and it made it that much worse.

"I'm sorry. I can't do anything about what I did. And, trust me, I know I can't do anything to make up for what I did-"

"Correct. You can't. And you're apology is shit to me."

"What do you want me to say, Clarke? Huh? Seriously. I am at a point where I will do literally anything to get you to forgive me."

Her jaw ticked as if she was thinking of ways to kill him.

"I'm gonna go get Raven." Is what she said instead, leaving the room before he could get another word in.

He collapsed onto his back, groaning.

"Why didn't you say anything? Like the next year? You were still there." He asked Murphy.

"Dude. I was one of the people insulting her. What was I gonna do? Tell you about the poor girl being bullied?" His friend tried to play it off as if it were nothing, but he knew- after hearing her- it hit Murphy pretty hard too.

"I don't know. I'm regretting pretty much every life choice I've ever made at this point though, so I have that going for me."

"Including taking in your sister?" Murphy knew how to pull him up, even if it was minimal.

"No...never that."

 _That_ _'s_ what was happening his senior year. His mom was sick. Uterine cancer. He was trying to deal with her dying and leaving him Octavia- who was only twelve at the time. They couldn't afford the surgery that probably would've saved her life so she just had to accept dying, including the excruciating pain that came with it. It was terrible, he got in a fuckton of trouble that year; still not an excuse for what he did to this poor girl.

The bass had stopped thumping and he could hear cars starting out front. Looking out the window he could see most everyone fleeing the property.

A tall lanky guy entered the room, clearing his throat to announce his presence.

"Jasper?" Murphy spoke first.

"Murphy? What are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same thing. I'm trying to tell Raven the same thing I told you."

"Ahhh. Well, good luck with that. I'm supposed to take you to her room, actually."

"Cool."

"Where's Clarke?" Bellamy spoke up.

Jasper sighed. "She had to go to work. She and Raven agreed you two could stay here for the night because neither of them are going to drive you home and you'll probably get stabbed on the bus."

"They thought we'd get stabbed on a bus?" Murphy asked.

"Well, Clarke said you had a stabbable appearance. Raven semi-agreed, saying you guys looked like frail baby birds."

Murphy scoffed before remembering the lack of muscle he had at thirteen. "Alright..."

"So I just have to for her to get done...doing what, exactly?"

"Working. She'll be home at like three. Until then you can stay here, it's the guest room." He motioned for Murphy to follow, shutting the door behind the two.

His friend came back after a half hour, back to his twenty-seven-year-old self, explaining that Raven had forgiven him and he offered to help her pay off her debt that the hospital bills created.

" _It's only fair_ ," He'd said, " _It_ was _completely my fault._ "

But Murphy was passed out on the bed now. Bellamy had gotten to the house around ten, his friend had shown up no longer than fifteen minutes later. Clarke had left sometime after ten-forty-five. It was now twenty after one. He could still hear voices coming from in the house.

The conversation was pretty indistinct, only catching a few words when voices were raised.

But he definitely caught Clarke's name and...Anya's?

" _Clarke? What are you doing here?_ " He assumed the harsh female voice was Raven.

" _Anya sent me home._ " He cracked the door open to try and hear better.

" _Why?_ "

" _Some jackass got pretty handsy and then when I pushed him off he tried to grab me. Long story short he had to be removed by the bouncer and Anya sent me home, some psyche law or something. I don't know._ "

" _Ok, well why are you still in your work clothes?_ "

" _Or lack thereof_..." He could hear Jasper giggling.

" _When I was trying to leave some guy ran into me with his food and drink, so I had to change back. One of the girls was nice enough to lend me this dress thing._ "

" _Sorry, hon._ " Someone else spoke.

" _The kid is still here. And I forgave his friend? Big ass flash of light that almost blinded me and- Poof! He's twenty-seven. It was super weird._ " Raven changed the subject.

" _Yeah fine, I'll deal with that..._ "

Bellamy exited the room, hearing her voice get closer.

And then came the second biggest shock of the night.

Her blonde hair was tied up tight in a ponytail with a few strands hanging by her face, she had a decent amount of makeup on, and a _lingerie set_. The bra was bright red and covered in lace with matching panties and a garter belt, holding up her bright red stockings. All of this covered by a black _fishnet_ dress. Standing on heels that looked like miniature belts wrapped around her feet and holding a duffle bag.

His tiny pubescent mind was being put to the limit. He must've made a noise because she looked up, her face turning the same color as the lingerie.

"Uh..."

"Uh- I was just- I, uh- Bathroom. I was going to ask where the bathroom was." He decides on that being his excuse, mentally killing himself for all the cracks in his voice. All while trying not to focus on what is probably a tattoo on her ribs right under her breasts, choosing to look anywhere else but her.

"Um, down the hall here, second door on left." She stays standing still as he brushes past her, trying not to seem like he's rushing to get away from her.

And to be fair, he kind of is. _She's a stripper?! That's pretty much the only explanation I can come up with that outfit for work. Besides a sex worker, which- she said something about someone getting handsy, so it doesn't seem likely. Still...a stripper!?_

He shuts the door behind him, pushing himself against it. He looks in the mirror, now noticing an annoying bulge. He sighs, hitting his head against the door. Today is really not his day; in any way, shape, or form.

He stays in the bathroom until his _annoyance_ has disappeared and prays that she somehow got ugly in the past seven minutes.

Of course, she doesn't. But a boy can dream.

She's standing outside of the door to the guest room. She had- thankfully- changed. Baggy sweats that hung far too low on her hips, exposing her stomach when paired with a baggy crop top with a yin-yang sign on it, and what was clearly a guy's zip-up hoodie. Her feet were free from the evil shoes and now bare, showing her painted toes and her hair was up in a bun. She looked comfortable until you reached her face where you could plainly see the level of discomfort she had reached.

Bellamy cleared his throat, announcing his presence. She jerked her head in his direction, staring.

"Uh, hi." She moved her hand up and down one arm, vaguely expressing her awkwardness towards the situation.

"Hi. I'm sorry again." She let out a small chuckle.

"Of course you are." She walked past him and turned down the hall. He waited for a minute but decided to follow.

They ended up on her back deck in silence. Her sitting in a deck chair smoking a cigarette, him sitting in a deck chair next to her being uncomfortably awkward.

"I do forgive you..." She says it so quietly, he thinks he might just be imagining it. "I do. It's just hard remembering all that shit. I think I just yelled at you because I never got to in high school. But- I'm mean, I'll probably never _forget_ about it but I did move past it."

With her last word, they were both blinded by a flashing white light. He tried to blink the white out of his eyes, not really feeling any different. Looking to his left he found her staring with wide eyes, cigarette dangling from her slightly parted lips.

"Am I normal?"

"I'd assume so? I haven't seen you in ten years and when I did see you, you were a fourteen-year-old, so I'm probably not the right person to ask." She grabs her phone and swipes up the camera, turning it to face him. "Normal twenty-eight-year-old you?"

And it is. His face is clear, jaw defined, hair not matted down with grease.

"Normal twenty-eight-year-old me." He agrees. "Can I have a cigarette now?"

She laughs, tossing the pack at him. She curls her legs up to her chest as he lights his up.

They sit in silence again, listening to the crickets and frogs.

"Why the farm house?" He asks randomly, trying to start a conversation.

"It's my friend's. His parents owned it and their other house, but Raven and I needed a place to live- our apartment building was being demolished- and so did he. So the three of us, plus Jasper and my friend Harper, bought it from them. I love it here. Secluded, but not like- middle of nowhere. And, you can't see it right now because it's pitch black out, but there's a pond over there." She gestured her finger towards the back of the property, "It's nice. Deer come out in the mornings. Ducks. Frogs- Obviously. Bunnies. It's cute. It's like living in a dream, but realistic."

"What makes it realistic?"

"The need for money." They both laugh a little, hers a little more self-deprecating. "Hence the bunches of people you saw when you got here. Jasper and Monty- his parents were the one who owned this place first- make their own moonshine and illegally grow pot. So we have parties, charge people, make a pretty decent profit. It's not like a daily thing, more like a pop-up club."

He nodded his head, sticking out his lower lip a bit.

"And, you know, I'm a stripper, so I can usually get rich guys to come."

"Smooth double entendre." That got a real laugh out of her.

"Thanks. I don't even try."

They go back to being silent, save Bellamy taking a drag off his diminishing cigarette. It's actually taking everything in him to not ask about the stripper thing, but he hopes he's not being too obvious about it. He clearly was, because she brings it up.

"You want to know about the stripper thing, don't you?"

"God, so much." He says too quickly, almost like it was a breath he was holding in. But she giggles at him.

"Uh, actually it's your fault."

"My fault?" He asks, confused.

"Um, well the guy I was dating at the time knew about the shit that happened in high school- insight, I might've turned into a heavy drinker for a while, but I'm good now, I just had to explain that to him. Anyway, so he was like any other twenty-something-year-old guy, trying to be all cool and macho, like-" She lowers her voice to mock a testosterone fueled male, " _Nobody disrespect my girl and gets away with that gimme that douche's name and I'll avenge you by beating the shit out of him_ ," She has to cough and clear her throat to change her voice back through her laughing at her own impersonation. "So he did that, then I found out the entire time I had been dating him- which was a little over a year- he had another girlfriend."

Bellamy chokes on the smoke entering his lungs, "Jeezus, really?"

"Mmhmm," She gave a tight-lipped nod of affirmation. "Yeah, so...enter Raven from her year and a half long tour with the air force; the main girlfriend who had been dating this douche for four years coming up on five. We all get in a big fight about it. I end up at a bar- because that was who I was- Raven ends up at the same bar. After a few drinks we actually start talking to each other, after a few more we're making out, maybe two more and we are hooking up in my apartment. Next day he comes over trying to apologize, obviously finds out we hooked up. Completely flips. Goes on a big rant about-" She pauses, "You know I don't even know what he was preaching- hell, I don't think _he_ knew what he was preaching. But it went full one-eighty. Bringing up a bunch of unnecessary shit that no one needed to know or hear about again. Brings up you, saying how right you were. How I am an ' _unlovable, worthless, fat whore._ ' Nice, right?"

He's staring at her with wide eyes, barely able to understand how any of this happened to her. She does seem like a great person, so how did she end up getting shit on so much by the universe.

"Well, anyway, Raven moved in with me- since Finn, the boyfriend, was supposed to be her roommate. I honestly cried a lot more than she did, he didn't really say shit to her, just gave her the cold shoulder. But he said all that shit to me. Yadda, yadda, blah, blah, boring emotional shit. I'm out with some friends and Raven makes a comment about how I should try and hook up with someone, I respond with some BS about not being able to because I was gross and ugly- completely reverting to my self-confidence and body image issues. So my other friend- Roan- he comes up and slaps me across the face. Super alarming, like- What the shit, dude?! I'm just trying to enjoy my beer. Then he _kisses_ me. Even more surprising. And proceeds to slap me again. Then goes on a rant about how stupid I was being and how I could pretty much get anyone I wanted because I'm 'a strong, sexy, confident woman' and I'm fucking awesome. So I try, end up banging a hot chick. Next morning she something about how sexy and flexible I was, said I should give her boss a call. I completely doubt myself again. Raven makes the call, shoves me through the doors. Ends up being a strip club. A few embarrassing lessons later I'm a stripper."

"Huh." He has to sit, dumbfounded. None of that is what he expected to hear. Maybe trying to get some extra cash for rent or something, sure. But an emotionally damaged girl with self-image issues was not even close.

"So, yeah. Now I work there and at a library." The revert back to silence, he glances out of the corner of his eye. She's picking at a thread coming off her sweats, seeming a tad embarrassed to have shared that story.

"So, what I'm hearing is that I got you a great job, a good hook up, helped get rid of a douche, and overall helped your life."

That made her burst out into a full-blown cackle. Which turns out to be infectious, making him laugh out loud as well. That is- until someone, presumably Raven, throws a...something heavy out their window and yells shut up before slamming it shut again. Making them laugh even louder.

He doesn't really know why, but at some point, they ended up in the middle of her backyard on a blanket staring up at the stars in silence. And he doesn't really know when, but at some point, he passes out on said blanket. Waking up to the sun burning through his eyelids.

Clarke is still fast asleep, face down on the blanket letting out soft snores every few moments. He smiles at her before standing up to stretch; sleeping on the ground isn't great on one's back. She does wake up then.

"Mm, snooze." She whined.

"You could go inside and sleep in your actual bed, you know?"

"But it's so far..."

"Jeezus, you're lazy."

"Mmhmm." She sounds pretty damn proud of that fact.

"C'mon, the ground is going to fuck with your back." He makes grabby motions at her, trying to offer to help her up.

She begrudgingly takes his hands, making him do most of the work. Once they are in the house they can see two guys and a girl passed out in the living room, all scattered on top of each other. They hear the shower running from upstairs. And they hear his cell phone ringing from the guest bedroom; where Murphy is.

He pushes the door open.

"If you don't shut it up, I'm smashing it." He comments, not moving or opening his eyes.

Bellamy answers the phone, leaving his friend to be bitter in peace.

"Hello?" He removed it from beside his ear to see it's an unknown number.

" _Mm, nice. No voice crack, just how I like it._ " And it's Anya. He'd know that snide, smug voice anywhere now.

"Yeah, thanks for that."

" _No problem. I presume you learned your lesson?_ "

"Nah, I think I'm going to continue being a complete asshole and objectify every girl I meet." He replies with an extreme sarcastic drip to his tone.

His ear gets a jolt, making him rip the phone away again.

" _Don't be a smartass._ "

"Fine, god. Yes. I learned I should be a better person."

" _Good. Your friend is back to normal, yes?_ "

"Yeah, he's just grumpy."

" _Seems like that's just his personality._ "

"It is." He confirms.

" _Alright, well...I'm done. Bye._ "

Before he even has a chance to respond she's hung up.

He walks out of the room, seeing Clarke completely crashed in the room across from his. He remembers that he probably only slept for a couple of hours outside and should try for some sleep of his own.

He can deal with everything- Clarke, Murphy, Anya, anything else- when he wakes up. For now? Sleep is the answer to all his problems.

* * *

Look at me- being a dumb ass- not having a life. Look at these if you want, or don't, up to you.

Stripper Clarke: g o o . g l / l4sjHD  
Lazy Clarke: g o o . g l / 8BxoRf


	20. Drinking Away The Pain

Genre: Comedey / Drama (?)

Rated: T

Word Count: 2,200

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Monty Green / Harper McIntyre / Nathan Miller / Jasper Jordan / Olan (OMC) / Livia (OFC) / Female Character(s) /

Characters Mentioned: Raven Reyes / Octavia Blake / Abby Griffin / Maya Vie /

Relationships: N/A

Summary: During a routine trade run they find Clarke, except she's not looking so hot. And she's not really acting right, either.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot / References to drug use and excessive drinking /

A/N: Again, no fucking clue why I write. It's weird, no idea how it got to where it got to. I don't have any references for Clarke's stuff but for Harper's second outfit, think of Kita from Atlantis but with a tighter skirt; if you don't know who that is look up her cosplay to get a general idea. Also, I got the name Olan (ole-on) because our local zoo has tiger siblings name Echo and Olan, I figured I had to use that somehow.

Translations:  
Skai gada - Sky girl  
meizen - Amazing  
Swega Klin - I promise  
Mebi oso na hit choda op nodotaim - May we meet again

* * *

It's not uncommon for them to go to villages to trade. It's something that had become more frequent. Arkadia needs certain things, other villages can provide those things in exchange for other things. One thing they don't need? Problems.

Jasper had become a problem. He wallows. Monty and Bellamy try to pull him out of it, but it's difficult when he's in a stupor most of the time. But they try, regardless. The usual way, now, is to wake him up and drag him along on their beyond-the-gate-missions.

At the moment, though, he's just wet and surly.

"You didn't have to dump water on me." He grumbled, slouching in the passenger seat.

"Yeah, and you didn't have to pass out, drunk, in front of the rover." Bellamy shot back.

The boy just rolls his eyes before turning out the window.

"We're trying to help, Jasper." Monty has been more pleading than most, wanting his best friend back more than anything.

"You could've not murdered a society, that would've been pretty helpful."

"Jasper-"

Bellamy cuts the other boy off, "It happened. I get it, it's super shitty that Maya died. We've all had people we love die down here, Jasper. You don't see the rest of us killing ourselves the way you are."

Monty sat back down next to Harper, across from Miller as they pulled into the village.

"She is." He mumbled, glaring out the window.

"What?" It's getting close to dark and the villagers seem to be having a celebration of some kind, they can't really tell who he's talking about.

" _She is_." He seethed, pointing in the direction of the fire.

They look over, a few games are going on around but it's mostly people sitting around talking and drinking.

"She gets to drink away her problems, why can't I?"

"Jasper, who the hell are you talking about, man?" Miller huffs.

" _Christ!_ Clarke!" He huffs before getting out of the vehicle.

The remaining four look closer at the fire and see her.

Her blond hair much dirtier and wrapped around her head in intricate braids. A large smile planted on her face that matches the lull in her eyes. She's wearing different clothes; nicer ones, considering what is nice on the ground. A tank top that hung off her loosely and stopped under her ribs with a _skirt_ that wrapped around her hips tightly but flowed down, past the back of her knees and stopped mid thigh in the front. She's making weird movements, laughing, trying to copy the grounder in front of her showing her a dance move.

Everything about it is concerning. Not exactly the context, the most traded item from this village was their alcohol and pain medication (the kind that occasionally made you see things), but more the fact that was here of all places. After a moment of hesitation, there's a bit of a scramble to get out.

Monty's the first one to reach her, pulling her into a tight hug. She looks shocked for a moment, Monty already pulling back. She grabs his shoulders and holds him at arm's length before poking his nose and cheeks.

"Hmm." She considers him before calling over the grounder from before, "Olan, is he real?"

"Who?"

"This one," She pats the top of his head with her hand.

"I think so? Ask Livia, she hasn't had any cotton weed tonight." Was his response before wandering off again.

"Huh..." She considers him again before turning, walking, and yelling, " _Livia_!"

"What? What'd I do?"

"Is that a person? It's a person right?"

"Yes? Pretty sure he's from Skaikru." She gives _Livia_ a sloppy kiss on the cheek before returning to her old friend.

"Hi! How are you here?" She seems falsely peppy.

"Hi? Trading mission, are you okay?" He can feel Bellamy approaching from behind.

"Clara is she your friend, she's pretty!" She looks over Monty's shoulder, making Monty and Bellamy turn back as well.

Livia and another girl who couldn't be much older than fifteen were picking at Harper's hair and clothes.

"I have something you'd look absolutely _meizen_ in." The younger girl starts pulling her hand. "Please? _Swega Klin_ you'll look even prettier."

She went willingly but looked back to the guys for any amount of help

"Clarke?"

The blonde snapped her attention back to Monty, "Hmm?"

"Where are they taking Harper?" He asks slowly as if she's a child.

"New clothes. She is pretty. Did you know that? Harper is really pretty. Ooh! Look!" She ran past him and put her hands on Miller's cheeks, pushing them together, "Miller! Hi! You are also adorable!"

"Tsank you?" He manages to speak while she keeps moving his cheeks.

"You're welcome!" She says, releasing him and reaching over to one of the girls that sat on the ground by the fire. She grabbed a large bottle, putting it to her lips and drinking.

"Maybe you've had enough, Cl-" Miller started towards her.

"Clara!" They all direct their attention to the younger girl from before. " _Skai gada_ requests you!"

And just like that, she's _skipping_ over to the hut.

The three remaining guys gather together.

"What's happening?"

"Excellent question. No clue, but now I know I'm adorable, Harper is pretty, Bellamy's kind of invisible, and Jasper's missing." Just as Miller finishes his list they hear the boy laughing, looking over to find him sitting in between two girls while another rubbed his shoulders.

"One problem solved. Let's focus on _Clara_." They reached a vague conclusion that she didn't want them to know she was Clark Kom Skaikru as well as Wanheda.

They're trying to find a way to gather their trade and find a way to take Clarke back when Jasper stumbles over.

"You know...I was wrong before." He's already slurring his words.

"Glad you figured it out, buddy. What about?" Miller asks while none of the three actually pay him any attention.

"Harper. She's fucking hot, man! Just- Just- Just look at her!" He gestures crazily towards where she's standing next to the hut. He's not wrong.

They aren't clothes so much as cloth. Her top is a scarf-like fabric wrapped around her chest and shoulders while her skirt is the same material, wrapped around her hips reaching just under her ass before folding out in the front.

She tries to speed walk over to them, playing with the 'skirt'. It generously showed the scars she'd gotten in the mountain.

"I didn't like skirts as a kid, I don't like skirts now."

"That is not a skirt, that is underwear," Miller comments, not really paying attention to her. She rolls her eyes before looking towards the others, jerking back to find them all staring at her.

"What?" Bellamy looked back to Miller, Monty turned around to hide the red creeping into his cheeks, Jasper kept staring. " _What_?" She snapped at him.

"Nothing," He shook his head before walking back to his little group.

"I want my clothes back." She huffed, crossing her arms.

"Ask Clarke," Monty suggested, still opting to not look at her.

"Yeah, no. She's higher than you were when you got arrested. She wanted to put _flowers_ in my hair."

"Jeezus, this is going to be hard." Bellamy rubbed a hand over his face, looking back to where he saw her last. She was moving her hips, mirroring what her friend Livia was doing.

"Hi." They all jumped, turning to find a woman standing behind Miller.

"Hi?"

She had a sultry approach about her, walking towards Bellamy.

"You are Skaikru, are you not?"

"Yeah. We are." He was curt, but that doesn't seem to get through a high mind.

"Many would like to...thank you." She gave a suggestive raise of her brow.

In a move of panic he grabbed Harper by her waist and pulled her close, "Nope, I'm doing fine. We're good."

She looked at Harper and gave her a suggestive once over as well but seemed to take the hint. Once she had walked far enough away, Harper pushed off and starting hitting him.

"No! Don't pull that shit!"

"I'm sorry! Harp- Harper! I'm sorry!" She hit him a few more times before crossing her arms again.

"I'm getting a drink."

"No! Harper-"  
"Harper, we need-"  
"Harper. Just-"

They were all cut off by her flipping them off and continuing towards where Clarke stood with another large bottle. The blonde seemed ecstatic that her friend was joining.

"We need a way out. And we need a way for Harper to get her clothes back." Monty spoke quickly, still avoiding looking at her and still maintaining a red tint to his skin. "Can't we just throw her and the clothes in the back of the Rover after we get the trade supplies?"

"Yeah, I get the feeling they aren't going to be too happy with us kidnapping someone. But that's just my guess." Bellamy rubbed his face again before just settling it in his hands.

"Wild idea. We leave her here." Miller's suggestion causes them both to jerk their attention towards him. "What? She left, she clearly doesn't want to come back. At least, not yet."

"We can't just leave her her! She's doing the same thing Jasper is, but instead of helping her, they're enabling her! She'll die if we leave her here!" Bellamy began protesting.

"And look how much we're helping him. When he's not drinking himself into a stupor every night, he's a depressed jackass. You really think she'll be much better?"

He had to think it over. A lot. But Miller was probably right. As usual.

"Fine. But we're coming back in a few weeks to see if she's still here. And we're coming earlier in the day."

"Yeah, I'm fine with that. Also, we shouldn't tell Abby. She _will_ force Clarke back and effectively push her away even longer."

"Yeah."

They all walked over to the fire to get Harper while a few sober grounders loaded up their supplies.

"We're leaving in a few. Where's Jasper and Clar-a." Bellamy stumbled on the name.

"Still talking to his little posse and you don't want to know." She took another, final, sip from a clear bottle, handing it off the young girl who'd dressed her. She asked to change back into her clothes so she could return the ones she had one.

"No. You keep those. They show your bravery and courage. It is a symbol of power." She assumed they must know what she meant because she got back up to fetch the guard uniform.

"Symbol?"

"Scars." They all turned to see Clarke again. "You're scars from Mount Weather. You survived, therefore you have shown bravery and courage for facing death and escaping, several times."

"Huh..."

"Anyway, I thought I'd say bye. I know you're leaving." She seemed a bit more sober than before, but not much. She hugged Miller and Monty, wrapping Harper up and whispering something to her. She backed away from the group, barely sparing Bellamy a glance. " _Mebi oso na hit choda op nodotaim._ " Nodding before turning and walking back to her friend Olan, having him wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her close.

It hurt, to say the least.

On the drive back both Nathan and Monty had fallen asleep in the back while Harper opted to sit up front with Bellamy. He looked over to find her still in the wraps with her guard jacket on.

"I thought you didn't like skirts?"

"Yeah, well that was before I was told I beat death and the skirt proves it." He chuffed a laugh, shaking his head. They're quiet for most of the rest of the drive. "She didn't know if you were real..." It's whispered so quietly, he can't tell if she even said it.

"What?"

"Clarke. She didn't know if you were real or not, that's why she didn't say anything. The herbs are hallucinogenic, you know that."

"Yeah, but she figured all of you were real."

"She doesn't see us every time she takes the stuff..." She trails off as they pull into the gates, her getting out before the pull into the garage and being cornered and question about her clothing by Raven and Octavia almost immediately.

 _She doesn't see us every time she takes the stuff_ _._ It's such a simple statement that could have so much meaning.

She could see a lot of people. Wells, her dad, her mom, any person from Mount Weather, there are so many people she _could_ see every time. But it's him. And he doesn't know how to feel about that.

 ** _xXx_**

They go back to the village two weeks later; she left the day after they did.


	21. New Beginnings

Genre: Angst / Drama / Romance / Humor /

Rated: T

Word Count: 10,735

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Jacob Griffin [OMC] / Octavia Blake / Fox / Jasper Jordan / Monty Green / Harper McIntyre / Zoe Monroe / Marcus Kane / Diana Sydney / Megan [OFC] / Abigail Griffin / Raven Reyes /

Characters Mentioned: Rick [OMC] / Maya Vie / Thelonious Jaha / Myles / Sterling / Finn Collins / Charles Pike / Bryne / Cage Wallace / Dante Wallace / Anya / Jacapo Sinclair / Eric Jackson / Callie Cartwig /

Relationships: Bellamy/Clarke / Clarke/Rick (past) / Jacob/Fox / Harper/Monty / Octavia/Lincoln / Clarke/Finn (past) / Raven/Finn (past) /

Summary: Clarke has been trapped. Her and her son are stuck in their little town of terrors until he's fourteen and she's given the opportunity to move them. It just happens to be across the country and it just happens to work out for the best.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot / Domestic Abuse / Domestic Violence / Mentions of Alcohol Abuse / I own Jacob (OMC) /

A/N: GUYS! This was literally over 15K words, I know there isn't a lot of Bellamy/Clarke relationship and it's mostly focused on Jacob's (Clarke's son) life, but I have a started on the second part to this which I will post like ASAP. Sorry, I've really like skirted over some important points in this story and, trust me, it kills me too, but I'm working on it. Sorry again, please stick with me.

I don't know if you've noticed but I've decided when I include Fox in stories she's gonna be Jasper's little sister, we're all gonna roll with it.

I probably get the genre wrong all the time; let me know if I should change that at all. That or the rating.

* * *

Does anyone really try for a tragic love story? Or is it by pure coincidence that everything can go wrong only to turn out right in the end?

Does anyone really try for a love story in general? Or do they just get lucky and find 'the one'?

Do soulmates exist? Is there a singular person in the world who only matches another one person?

If there is, is there something drawing these people together? Or do they just walk around knowing there's a chance they'll find that soul-crushing love that everyone looks for?

Maybe.

But like all love stories, tragic or not, it has to start somewhere.

This one starts in a high school like most do. Two kids, supposedly in love, learning how they've screwed up each other's lives.

She can't go to school, follow her mother's footsteps.

He won't be able to go party anymore, live up his twenties.

Will she even graduate now? Get her diploma?

Will he?

Of course. Because when high school girls get pregnant, no one blames the guy. He doesn't lose time or get made fun of.

She, of course, is determined to at least finish her senior year, even if it kills her.

They school year had just started and it already felt like it was collapsing in.

But being who they were, they finished. She ignored the rumors, side glances, the insults.

He moved forward like barely anything had changed.

And before the year finished they had a son.

She was thrilled, even if this _delayed_ her plans, it was one of the greatest things to happen to her.

But there's a saying; "If it seems to good to be true, it probably is."

And things were good, for the first year or so.

Aside from being forcibly married.

The two were living on their own. He had a good job with decent pay, she worked weekends at the library to bring in more. The baby was happy in that way that babies are. Things were good.

Then, of course, they weren't.

The fighting started. He went out at nights, coming back reeking of alcohol. Their baby boy was three the first time he hit her.

The fighting stopped for the most part. He worked at a bar now, so the drinking became more frequent. She couldn't leave him, he provided for the three of them and she would take ten times the beatings if it kept her son safe.

She stopped working when the boy was four. He was starting school soon, so she had to be home to take care of everything else; laundry, dishes, basic housework, helping the kid with homework, being the perfect little homemaker.

Since it was _his_ idea for her to stop working, he had taken a second job.

The fighting started again. Him coming home in the middle of the night, drunk, yelling at her for never helping him out with the money.

He did it often, it wasn't new. What was new was the hair pulling, the throwing to the ground, kicking.

She never wanted her son to see it; how weak and powerless she was against this man he was supposed to depend on.

But he did. She couldn't hide it forever. He'd asked about the bruises before, she brushed him off or told him she was just clumsy.

But six-year-olds know more than she'd like.

It was pure coincidence that he woke up that night to see his mother bleeding on the ground, face pale with blue and purple. Kids may be kids, but they're smart and they know when someone is hurt to call the number that had been drilled into their little minds.

Mommy was unconscious on the ground, breathing shallow. Daddy was passed out face-down on the couch, knocked out from his stupor.

When the boy answered the door and the paramedics came in, they knew. The police came, her family came (to take the boy), and she was taken to the hospital.

There was lots of crying. Her mother for the fact that she might lose her only daughter, her son for the fact that he didn't know what was happening, her best friend for feeling like he should've helped more.

And, to this day, they will call it a miracle that she's alive. So close to death that night. So close to death throughout the trial. So close to death anytime the situation was brought up.

But they grew. Moved past it. Got older. Matured.

If anyone saw her on the street they'd never know how bad it had been. They'd never know how much it hurt. They'd never know what it was like to have a teenage son act the way hers did.

Here's where most of the tragedy ends. Not all of it, though.

Now the little boy was fourteen and they had just moved.

It's not like he wasn't happy to get away from the town where his most tragic memory occurred, but he wasn't thrilled to move across the country. Away from his friends and away from the life the two had built over the years.

It's why he ends up where he is now.

Getting in a fight outside a convenience store at eleven at night.

Punches are thrown, he's thrown to the ground, the other kid is thrown to the ground, blood stains the concrete. But it all stops when a deep voice yells out.

"Hey!"

The other kid and his friends run, leaving the boy on the ground. He can't help but feel the memory creeping back up on him.

"Hey, are you okay?" A man crouches next to him, offering a hand up.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He brushes away the man's hand and sits up, wincing at the pain that surges through his bones.

"You need me to call somebody?" His mom is probably worried sick about him. He should probably call her, himself. Looking to his right he finds his phone crushed.

He wipes his hands across his face, smearing the blood.

"Yeah, uh, my mom is probably freaking out."

"Probably. Do you just want a ride home?" He removes his hands from his face to study the man, he looks vaguely familiar. "Um, I'm a teacher at the high school. Not a creeper, promise."

His mom is going to kill him either way, may as well get a ride out of it.

"Sure." He pushes up, wincing at the feeling that goes through his spine.

"What's your name?"

"Jacob."

"I'm Bellamy. Bellamy Blake." The two shake hands and get in the car.

The drive is quiet.

"What the hell were you doing in Seattle at eleven? Your address is in Lynnwood."

Jacob doesn't answer, just rests his pounding skull against the cold window.

"Alright. How about you call your parents-"

"Mom." Jacob interrupts and corrects.

"-and let them know you're not dead."

"I'll show up, then she'll know I'm not dead." He rests his head back on the glass, staring at the street lights passing by.

They stay quiet until they're almost there, then Bellamy asks again, "What the were you doing in Seattle at eleven?"

Most people, teens in particular, out that late are looking to score.

"Just walking."

"Walking?"

"Walking. Distracts me."

"From?"

He doesn't respond and Bellamy assumes the boy is done with a conversation.

He answers when the car pulls into the driveway of the small house. "Reality."

The front door flings open as Jacob gets out of the car, a small blonde woman rushing over and hugging him before pulling back and slapping his arm.

"Where, the fuck were you?! It's late and- What the hell happened to your face?!" She was obviously worried.

"I'm fine, ma. My phone got crushed. Got a ride. I'm going to sleep now." He pushed past her and walked into the house.

Her eyes followed him until he slammed the door shut, then she looked back at the car to find Bellamy leaning over the hood. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Teacher at the high school. Saw him and a few other kids fighting, offered a ride home." He quickly explained.

"Oh...thanks..." She looked back at the house to watch his bedroom light turn off then walked over to the man. "I'm Clarke Griffin. Seriously, thank you. I didn't know where he was all day and we've only been here for a couple weeks so-"

"Really, it's no problem. Just...make sure he cleans his face before he goes to sleep." She smiles a sad smile at him before thanking him once more and retreating to her house.

She walks up the stairs and knocks on his door twice.

She knows why he's upset today, it's the anniversary.

"Go away."

"I'm taking that as an 'enter, mom'." She replies before pushing the door in. "Why didn't you tell me where you were going?"

He shrugged, "Didn't want you to worry..."

"So, instead, you decided to just disappear and not talk to me all day only to show up after eleven with a bruised face?"

He takes a moment before turning over to face where she sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Alright, maybe it wasn't my smartest move..." She lets out a sad laugh.

"Not going to argue with that." She pets the side of his head, moving her hand to cradle his face, thumb lightly stroking over a long cut on his cheek. He winces at the feeling. "Come on, gotta clean you up."

She gets up and heads to the bathroom, knowing he'll follow.

When she stands and turns away from the counter she finds him sitting on the side of the bathtub.

She put the antibacterial wash on a soft cloth and lightly dabs at the places where the skin broke.

He focused his eyes on the ground.

"So, what was it this time?" It wasn't the first time her son had gotten in a fight, just the first time in their new home.

"Ripped my earbuds out and tried to take my rockstar." He paused, "He took the rockstar..."

She let out another sad laugh. "Didn't you say that you'd try not to get into fights anymore?"

"No, you and my old anger management counselor said that. I just agreed."

"Ok, but you agreed."

"I'm sorry, mom..."

"I'm not mad, baby. I was just worried."

"No, I'm sorry...you wouldn't have had to deal with...it...if it wasn't for me. You could've left..." He apologized every year.

She responded the same every year, "It is not your fault. I would do it all over again if it meant that I'd get to have this."

"But-"

"Jacob. Stop apologizing. It's not your fault. It will never be your fault."

She could feel the tears hitting the cloth and pulled him in, wrapping her arms around him, not caring if the blood stained her clothes. He broke down, clinging to his mother as he cried.

"Shh, it's ok...it's ok...we're fine...we're gonna be fine..." She mumbled into his hair as her hand rubbed calming circles in between his shoulder blades.

Eventually, he stopped crying, apologized for marking up her shirt, and went to bed, falling asleep almost the second his head hit the pillow.

Clarke wishes sleep came that easy for her. She no longer cried herself to sleep, but...it's been eight years and she still worries about him coming back. He's still behind bars and no longer knows where she and Jacob live, but she's still worried. And it angers her that she feels that way. That he made her feel so weak and powerless at one point that now she still feels like some part of her will always be that weak and powerless.

That night she does cry herself to sleep, out of fear and worry, not of him, but for Jacob. He'll be nothing like his father, but she hates that he remembers it. She hates that he _still_ has nightmares of his dad coming back to 'finish the job' as he threatened all those years ago. She hates that she had to move him away from his friends. And she hates that something that happened to her, that he was never supposed to know about, affects him so greatly.

The next morning is Monday. The first day at his new school. He's dreading it.

His mom walks by and pounds on the door.

" _C'mon, get up and I'll make breakfast._ "

He does get up and takes a shower. Looking in the mirror when he gets out he sees his face.

"Well, shit..." noticing the purple and green marks on his cheek and the broken skin under his eye, his nose scraped up and his lip busted and slightly puffy.

He jogs downstairs to find his mom with a spoon in her mouth while she makes scrambled eggs.

"That doesn't have egg on it right?" He asks cautiously.

She laughs the best she can with the utensil still hanging. After she dumped the giant plate of food in front him, she pulled it out.

"Nope, just some peanut butter."

"Ma..." She's terrible at taking care of herself, always focusing on him or others.

"I'm fine, now hurry up. I'm dropping you off on the way to work." She runs upstairs to change while he scarfs down the large breakfast she's made for him.

She's very happy that her job is better paying here, the first thing she learned on their trip over? Teenage boys eat. So much.

She made him three eggs, two pieces of toast, three mini-sausages and would bet her life that he's still hungry an hour later.

She puts her hair up and notices the time.

"Alright, let's go, kid!" She grabs her purse and laces up her shoes while he runs upstairs to grab his backpack.

"Is school _really_ necessary?" He asks when they start driving.

"Hey, it's the first day. Ask me again when finals are creeping up on you." She glances over and to see his put out attitude. "Look, I know you're not thrilled about starting a new school, but I'm sure it'll be fun."

"How?"

"Well...for one...You said that none of the girls at your old school were cool. They were all super boring or desperate."

He perks up slightly. "They were. Always asking everyone if they wanted nudes. Like, can you please act like a fourteen-year-old girl? Not an eighteen-year-old."

She smiled at him. "Alright, well you're taking the bus home. Bus thirty-one. I'll be home around five and I'm stopping by the Verizon store so what new phone do you want?"

His old phone was an iPhone 3. And he has been dying for the thing to break. She promised that when it broke she'd buy him whatever phone he wanted (within reason).

"The new Samsung. I hate iPhones." He seemed a bit happier now.

"Me too." She high-fived him when they pulled in front of the building. "Stop by the office, they have your schedule."

"Alright. Bye, mom."

"Bye." She watched him walk towards the door and pulled forward.

 **xXx**

Jacob walked in the doors and wanted to stop and gape. The school was huge. He didn't, of course. But it didn't mean he didn't want to.

He walked into the office.

"Hi, honey. What can I help you with?"

"Uh, my mom said that I could pick up my schedule here. We only recently moved here..."

"Yes, of course. Name?"

"Jacob Griffin."

She hummed while scrolling through her screen before the printer behind her sprung to life.

"Alright. Here are your classes. Your lunch will depend on your fourth-period teacher. And..." She looked around behind him. "Octavia, honey! Can you come here?"

He turns around to find a girl walking over. She was definitely not boring and desperate. She didn't need to be desperate when she looked like that.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Jacob is new here, do you think you could show him where his classes are?"

She smiled at him, "Yeah sure." When they walked out of the office everyone had cleared the halls, already in class. "Alright, lemme see your schedule."

He handed her the piece of paper.

"Pike for Science, he's a decent teacher but a terrible person. Sydney for English, her class is easy if you just blend in with the background. Sinclair for Basic Programming, he's a nice guy and the class is really easy. Blake for History-" She broke off and smiled, "He's a great teacher but he will tangent off into mythology references. Blake is your fourth so you'll have first lunch. Bryne for P.E., honestly talk to your counselor about changing into a different class, ask about weight training. And Studio Art with Wallace, he's nice and old but sometimes his son subs and Cage is an asshole." She finished assessing his semester life. "So I think we'll stop by the counseling office first so they can take you out of Bryne's class because, trust me, you don't want to be in that class."

She shuddered as if remembering a war flashback, he couldn't help but smile. "Yeah ok."

"Do you know who your counselor is?"

"Uh..." He had to think to remember the name. They had to meet with him a few weeks ago to arrange his registration. "Jaha?"

"Ah, religious nut. Fun." She just laughed and started off in another direction.

"You seem to know a lot about this school..." She didn't look that much older than him.

"I'm only a sophomore, but..." She looked around and lowered her voice like she was telling him a big secret, "my brother works here." She straightens out and resumes walking, "I don't tell people because they assume I'd get special treatment, but I do not. He is the biggest pain in my ass and assigns work to me even though I'm not in his class."

Jacob laughed. They got to the counseling center and only had to wait for a few minutes to see his counselor. Octavia was correct about Mr. Jaha, he was indeed a religious nut, suggesting a religious studies course in place of weight training. And when Jacob denied that (and was done being transferred into the class) Mr. Jaha proceeded to suggest a youth group that the school had, again he was denied.

Walking out Octavia laughed at him some more.

"Oh god, you should see your face. You look like you've been scarred for life."

"Well, the man did just lecture me on how focusing on a higher power could help me reign in my distracted personality and raise my grades. I don't think the two even tie into each other." They were both laughing while walking through the silent halls.

A teacher stuck her head out and asked them to return to class silently, of course after she shut the door Octavia flipped her off and they both started laughing again.

She showed him where all of his classes were, then drew it out on the issued map of the school, then wrote down the pattern for him (upstairs, downstairs, upstairs, lunch, upstairs, downstairs, downstairs).

They had successfully skipped their first period.

"If you want to meet me by Mr. Blake's class, you can have lunch with me and my friends."

He was shocked.

A: He knew he was younger than her, which wasn't the most appealing to students; hanging out with kids younger than themselves.  
B: He knew he didn't look his best, on account of looking like he got hit by a car.  
C: He barely knew this girl and she was inviting him to have lunch with her.  
D: An attractive girl just offered to have lunch with him...on his first day...maybe this year wouldn't be terrible.

"Um, sure..."

She laughed again, "Gee, don't sound so excited."

"No- I mean, thanks." He didn't really know how to explain his reasons for his shock to her without coming across as weird.

"Alright, well I'll see you in a couple hours." She dropped him off at Sydney's room and walked to her own class.

English wasn't his least favorite subject, but it sure as hell wasn't his first choice. Ms. Sydney seemed nice enough, but mostly like she wanted everything to be about her and if anyone disagreed they would be sent out. But if he just focused in on the book they were reading (Of Mice and Men; He'd read it in sixth grade) the class passed by fairly quickly.

Basic Programming, again, wasn't his favorite class but it was probably in the top three. Mr. Sinclair was kind and offered to help him catch up, he even gave Jacob an alternative assignment to catch up on the grades he'd lost from the beginning of the year. And Monty, the Junior TA, was super cool and funny.

Finally, it was lunch time, he was practically starving. He wandered over to the hallway of his history class and thought he'd put his stuff down in the class, maybe talk to the teacher about assignments, and what they were working on in class, he certainly didn't expect to see the same guy who had given him a ride home the previous night. Granted, he had told Jacob that his name was Bellamy _Blake_ and he worked as a _teacher_ at the _high school_ , all the clues were there, he just hadn't put them together.

"Oh, hey, how's the face?"

 _Like you actually care..._

"Fine." He was lying, his face was throbbing at the moment, but Jacob had an issue with men. Just all adult men (and some teenagers). His therapist told his mom it was some underlying issue with his father. ' _Yeah, underlying. You mean like the fact that my mom was almost beat to death by him? Because I think that's the main issue here_.' He had told her, getting up and walking out of the office to go sit in the car.

"Alright. I'm going to assume you're here to talk about current work?"

"Yeah, just if there's a project or any important assignments I missed."

"Well, right now there's a group project that-"

"Jacob, C'mon I'm hungry." Octavia was standing in the doorway.

"Octavia." Mr. Blake nodded at her.

"Oh shut up." She laughed at him, walking over and pulling Jacob by the arm out of class.

"You talk to teachers like that?" The boy was impressed, to say the least.

"Nah, that's my brother. Bellamy Blake; older sibling to Octavia Blake."

"Oh, wow."

"Yeah. He's a fucking nerd, but I love him." She shrugged and walked over to a table. "This is Jacob. He's a freshman and it's his first day. He is my friend now so you all have to be nice for like a month to let him get used to you."

He couldn't tell if she was joking or not, but the kids at the table smiled at him.

"Hey, you're in third period Basic Programming, right?" Monty was apparently friends with Octavia.

"Uh, yeah. You're the TA, right?"

"Mmhmm, you'll like the class. Promise." He turned back to his food.

"So, Jacob- Jake? Do you go by Jake?" A tall, lanky guy asked.

"Whatever you want, man."

"Alright. So, Jake, what brings you to our shitty corner of the world." Octavia slapped his arm, mumbling that their 'town wasn't _that_ shitty'.

Jacob shrugged, "Don't know. Mom just said we were moving and it was pretty far."

"You weren't upset to leave your friends?" A cute girl asked, she might've been a freshman like him, she looked young enough.

"I mean- yeah. But I didn't have that many. Not that great of town we lived in before. Sketchy."

They all nodded like they understood.

"Alright," the lanky kid spoke up again, "well, I'm Jasper. You know Monty and Octavia. This is Fox, she's also a freshman." He gestured to the girl from before, "And Monroe is somewhere around here..." He looked around the cafeteria, "And she and Harper are our seniors. Harper is in California right now, but you'll like her."

Lunch progressed, he mostly just sat there listening to the other talk.

"Where's your lunch?" Fox whispered to him while Jasper was ranting about Disney taking over the Star Wars franchise.

"Forgot to pack one this morning, running late." Fox nodded and stood up, walking over to Jasper. She opened his backpack and took out a bunch of food, handing it to Jacob.

"Perks of having a stoner brother." She smirked.

"Hey! I resent that!" He spoke up, noticing his munchie snacks had been stolen.

"What? The fact that you're a stoner or the fact that I use it to get food?"

"Both!" The rest of the table laughed at him. Jasper and Fox began arguing back and forth, trading insults and stuff that they could tell their parents.

"Oh, C'mon! Fox Jordan sounds like a stripper name, does it not?!" He was insistent about it.

"So you're saying mom expects me to be a stripper?"

"No, I'm saying they should've put in more thought to naming you."

"Alright, J.J. Whatever you say."

"No! You aren't allowed to call me that anymore!"

"What are you gonna do about it? Tell mom? Dad? How about I tell them where your stash is and why you're _really_ working in the greenhouse."

"You wouldn't..." He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Try me." She huffed proudly and began eating her sandwich again.

Jacob had to smile at the interaction before lunch ended.

"Hey, Fox, Jake's in your class with Bell. Just talk to him to get Jake in your group, okay?"

She nodded and motioned for Jacob to follow her.

History seemed like an easy enough. He got seated next to Fox and put in her group for the project. Mr. Blake was nice enough, but also seemed like he was a dick. Octavia was correct, again, he did tangent into mythology references quite a bit. The other people in his group were cool. Myles just talked a lot, not really focused on the assignment. And Sterling was decent and had a lot of good knowledge on the subject, Fox said he was Monroe's younger brother but didn't like to hang out with their group too often because of that fact.

He had been moved to Weight Training with Ms. Lachman, but she just got upset when people called her that; she preferred to go by Anya. And again, the class was easy and enjoyable. Jacob enjoyed exercise, despite inheriting his mother's lack of coordination and inability to play sports, he loved going to the gym, running, or even just walking. So the class was up in the top three, next to Basic Programming.

And his final class was definitely his favorite. Art was something he got to share with his mom, and that started at a young age. She had liked drawing his entire life, always giving him little pictures to hang up in his room when he was younger (he doesn't tell her, but he still has them all saved in a shoe box in his closet) and when he was old enough she started sharing it with him. They'd do dumb little drawings, they shared the makeshift studio, and he always loved art class.

His mom had wanted to do anything with art for the longest time but, and this was part of the reason he didn't like her, his grandma was _only_ offering to pay for her to go to college if she studied medicine. It's why she was stuck working at some OB/GYN in the city. She didn't hate her job but it certainly wasn't her first choice, and he felt bad.

The only reason she took the job was to move _away_ from his traumatic memories and terrible grandmother and because it paid more, which she could always use as a single mother of a teenage boy. But that's what made him feel bad.

For a while he was okay with everything, she seemed like she was happy with things, but he found that she was taking terrible care of herself; not actually eating _meals_ , messed up sleep schedule, overworking herself, sometimes forgetting to shower (not often, but occasionally), etc. And, another trait he got from her, he always felt like it was his fault. She constantly assured him it wasn't and that she was fine, but- he's fourteen, not an idiot.

Art went by too quick for his liking and soon he was boarding the bus.

Jacob wasn't a big fan of buses. But he didn't know how different this one would be from his old one; where kids were allowed to smoke cigarettes as long as they did it in the back of the bus with the windows down. None of the kids were smoking, but they were all still very loud. But he figured that was just a thing people did, no matter where they were.

He got off at the last stop, wich just happened to be at the top of his street. He was used to coming home to an empty house, his mom used to work weird hours when she was a nurse at the hospital in their old town, but it still felt a bit disappointing. It wasn't rational by any means, he knew that. His mom told him when she'd be home, it's been like this since forever, he doesn't even understand why he's surprised, he just is.

The homework is relatively easy, in fact, the only homework he actually hates is his history homework. He constantly rolls his eyes at the papers. And- again, he knows it's irrational- he knows Mr. Blake probably didn't actually write out this particular paper, but the fact that he'd chosen it at all made Jacob dislike him that much more.

 **XxX**

His mom gets home closer to five-thirty but he can't hold it against her when she's brought home his favorite food.

"Really?"

She laughs at his pure excitement, "Yes, really. I didn't get a phone call saying you skipped your classes or started a fight. Congrats and welcome to your new high school. Have your favorite food."

She deposited the large brown bag on the island before running upstairs to change out of her scrubs.

Jacob loves breakfast for dinner. And his favorite breakfast? Eggs benedict. It's the absolute best.

He scoops his eggs, hash browns, and toast onto a plate and does the same for Clarke's waffles.

She comes back down with her hair thrown up into a messy bun, large sweatpants, and a hoodie.

Once the two are settled at the table, stuffing their faces with food, she speaks up.

"So how was school? I take it you didn't actually hate it."

Jacob shrugged. "I made a friend. And she forced her friends to be friends with me, but they seem super cool, so it's actually nice."

"That's great."

"Yeah. I do have that guy as my teacher, though. The one who drove me home last night?"

"Mr..." She trailed off trying to remember his name.

"Blake. Mr. Blake. It's actually funny, my friend is his sister."

She lets out a snort, "That is funny. So how about classes?"

He proceeds to tell her about Octavia and how he changed his schedule, he talks about his favorite classes before dropping to the others.

"History? I thought you like history."

"I did." He mumbles, shoving a piece of benedict in his mouth.

"Is this one of those things?"

"One of what things?" He knows what she's talking about and she knows he knows. She makes it clear by giving him _The Look_. "No. I mean- I don't think so. Look, it's not like Mr. Peterson. He was straight up hitting on you, which wasn't cool. I just-"

"It's fine baby, just remember. I'm the parent. I look out for you, not the other way around. And I really don't need you picking another fight with a teacher."

"Yeah, I know. But Peterson had it coming, he made a crack about you to one of the other teachers." He starts, getting more defensive every moment.

"I know, I know. I'm not saying what you did was entirely wrong, remember? I bought you ice cream. I'm just saying I really don't need _you_ picking another fight. If someone makes a crack about me, tell me. I'll kick their ass and you know it."

He does, there was a period of time where his dad was out on parole so she had taken up self-defense classes. He got put back in prison for breaking parole and a restraining order trying to get Jacob out of school. But she stuck with the same workout, it turned into kickboxing lessons, some martial arts, a few firearms lessons. Now she was pretty badass if he did say so himself.

"Alright, but if there's a kid-"

"Then you ignore it and come home and punch the bag in the garage. I told you, we'll find an outlet for you, but don't hit other people. Your record can't handle another suspension."

"I know, mom..."

"It's fine, baby. We're working on it." They finished their food and retired to the living room watching a new DC movie; The Justice League Vs. The Teen Titans. Another thing they had in common, their love for the MARVEL and DC comic universes.

By the time the movie had finished- after all the interruptions they both made with speculation points- it was close to nine.

"Well, I am fucking exhausted. So I am going to sleep. I'll see you in the morning, kiddo."

"Jeezus, mom. Yes, go to sleep. You are constantly tired. You should sleep every moment you don't work."

"Yeah, I would, but then I'd never see you. Oh! Almost forgot." She goes over to her purse, digging out a box and handing it to him. "Love you, baby. I really hope it works out here, for both of us."

She hands him the Samsung Galaxy S7, before walking up the stairs to go to sleep.

He loves his mom. More than anything.

 **xXx**

A month and a half go by without incident, then she gets a call in the middle of her work day.

" _Clarke Griffin's office, how may I direct your call?_ " She hears the receptionist answer, smiling to herself. " _Of course, sir. Thank you._ "

Clarke can hear the phone being hung up and waits the 30 seconds it'll take her secretary to remember to tell her.

" _Oh! Clarke! You have a call on line two!_ "

"Thank you, Megan." She rolls over to her desk, clicking the hold button.

"Clarke Griffin speaking."

" _Hello, Mrs. Griffin, this is Marcus Kane; the principal of Walden High School._ "

 _Shit...what's he done?_ Is her automatic thought.

"Hello, Mr. Kane. To what do I owe this call?"

" _It seems Jacob is having some trouble in a couple of classes. The teachers were wondering if you'd be interested in meeting with them? I'd also like to have a chat with you about his behavior._ "

 _Shit fuck. God dammit Jacob, I love you, but gahdamn._..

"Um, yeah, of course. Do they have a preferred time or...?" She trailed off.

" _I'm sure we can work something out around your schedule._ "

"Thank you, Mr. Kane. That's very kind of you."

" _Oh, I'm just trying to schmooze you before you come in_." She lets out a chuckle.

"Well, regardless, thank you. I'll check my work schedule, find a time, and get back to you as soon as I can."

" _Sound excellent, Mrs. Griffin-_ "

"Miss. Not married."

" _Ah. Well,_ Ms. _Griffin, I look forward to meeting you._ "

"And you."

The next thing she did was text her son, it was the middle of lunch, he should reply fairly quickly.

* * *

 ** _Today Wednesday 11/19_**

 ** _10:46 AM  
_ Clarke** _  
What did you do?_

 ** _10:50 AM_  
Jacob** _  
What are you talking about?_

 ** _10:51 AM_  
Clarke**  
 _Principal called._  
 _Trouble in classes._  
 _Discussion about behavior.  
Anything you aren't telling me, tell me now._

* * *

She hates it. She really does. Clarke trusts her son implicitly. And she always feels like he assumes she doesn't when she asks questions like that. Like it implies she thinks he's hiding something. And- ok, she suspects he might be hiding _something_ , but she assumed it was probably a girl or something like that. He's fourteen, he's allowed to hide stuff like that if he wants to.

* * *

 ** _10:53 AM  
_ Jacob** _  
I have more friends.  
That's about it.  
Classes are probably just History and English.  
Mrs. Sydney is conceited and wants to be heard.  
Mr. Blake thinks I'm slacking off._

 ** _10:54_ _AM_ _  
_Clarke** _  
Are you?_

 ** _10:54_ _AM_**  
 **Jacob**  
 _No, mom._  
 _He's a dick.  
I like his sister, but he's pretty rude._

 ** _10:55 AM  
_ Clarke** _  
Alright, well...no friends over for a week.  
Am I parenting right?  
This is what parents do, right?  
Yeah.  
I have to make time to sit down with your teachers and principal, punishment.  
Boom._

 ** _10:56 AM_  
Jacob** _  
What friends?_  
 _Yeah, fine._  
 _I'll need to go to the library though._  
 _Group project still._

 ** _10:57 AM_  
Clarke** _  
Don't even, you just said you had more friends._  
 _The library is fine._  
 _I forgot, don't call your teachers names._

* * *

Clarke had her assistant call the principal back and schedule a meeting.

It was the following week. She had the meetings scheduled: first was the principal, then Mr. Sinclair, next would be Ms. Sydney, ending with Mr. Blake.

They went through the pleasantries and fake conversation she was used to before reaching the real problem.

"So, Mr. Jaha had contacted Mr. Jackson, from Jacob's last school, about a week or so ago, and we noticed it wasn't listed in his medical file."

"What?"

"The name of Jacob's therapist." It made her go rigid.

"He does not go to therapy at the moment."

"Ah well..." He started before opening his desk drawer and pulling out a sheet of paper with names on it. It was a move she recognized.

"Thanks, we're ok for now." She replied before he even handed it to her.

"Ms. Griffin, I'm not even going to imagine how hard it is for you to be raising Jacob on your own. But..." She could tell where it was going. "It might not be healthy for him to not have a steady male role model in his life." She wanted to punch the guy.

"Well, thank you for your opinion, but like I said. We're ok right now."

"Ms. Griffin, please, we're only trying to help-" He motioned the paper towards her again.

"Well, _it's_ proven to be more harmful than helpful." Before he could continue with his spiel on why she needed to have a man in her life, she asked if they were done.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said, are we done here? Do you have any other concerns about Jacob's immediate behavior and not his future reactions?"

"Um, I suppose not, but-"

"Then, if you'll excuse me, I have another meeting." Passively walking out of his office and towards the computer lab.

Mr. Sinclair had nothing but good things to say. He expressed how great Jacob was and suggested maybe he take to one of the clubs if the boy had any interest in pursuing a future in the technical field.

Then she was off to Ms. Sydney who lost her immediately when she started their meeting with, "You look familiar? Are, by chance, related to Abby Griffin?"

She sighed and conceded that she was her daughter, which led to a ten-minute conversation about how they never talked anymore and how Clarke didn't talk to her either.

"Well, that's a shame. Anywho, back to your son."

"Yes. Did you have any concerns?"

"Not exactly a concern such as a...complaint? That sounds wrong, but..." She shook her head. "We have four major essays that make up about fifty-percent of their quarter grade."

"Ok..."

"Jacob has...failed to turn in the first one of those."

"Oh," She was surprised, to say the least. He was usually great about that kind of thing.

"Yes. It really is a shame, he's an excellent student. So, just for him, I'm willing to make a deal."

"A deal." She didn't say like a question, more like a flat statement.

"Yes. I will give him two weeks to give me a complete paper with nothing about his grade taking a hit." She could sense the but coming, "In exchange for a phone call to your mother." Apparently, this woman hadn't listened when Clarke said she didn't talk to Abby anymore. "I miss her terribly but I don't have her number."

"I could just give it to you."

"Really?" She seemed honest-to-god shocked.

"Yeah, I don't care. Just give him the two weeks?"

"Yes, of course." She wrote down her mother's cell phone number and handed it to her.

"So we're done?"

"Yes. That was all I had."

"Alright, nice to meet you, Ms. Sydney."

"Likewise." She nodded once more before exiting the classroom and heading to the next one.

Entering she found Jacob sitting at one the tables doodling on a piece of paper.

"Are you almost- mom?" He could probably see how tense she was, she wasn't really doing anything to hide it.

"I'm fine, just- go sit in the hallway so I can finish these."

"Ok..." He seemed hesitant but did as he was instructed.

She approached Mr. Blakes desk, dropping her purse in the chair next to her.

"Before we start, if you know my mother or have input on how I'm raising my son wrong, keep it to yourself." She was pretty tired of hearing it at this point.

"Uh, should I have input?"

"I don't know."

"Why _would_ I have input? That seems like a better question."

"Again, no idea. I'm a single mom who has a job with regular hours. But that isn't satisfying enough because my son hasn't had a steady male role in his life since he was eight."

"Not seeing where I'd put my input if I had any."

"I don't know, but I've got two sheets of therapist suggestions and advice that I should sign up for online dating. So..." She shrugged, dropping her head into her hands.

"I think you're doing fine. I had a single mom, I turned out fine."

"Instilling confidence in me, that's new."

He laughed a little. "Alright, well I don't have any major issues, but Jacob does seem a bit combative in class."

"How so?"

"I'll ask a question, pick him to answer it, and he'll be a bit snappish."

 **XxX**

While his mom finished up her last conference, Jacob sat in the hall, bored. Well, bored until Octavia walked up.

"What the hell are you doing here, pipsqueak?" He rolled his eyes at the nickname.

"Mom. Conferences."

She sucked in an exaggerated breath through gritted teeth.

"Ooh, so close to getting away with it. You think my brother is gonna blab about Mrs. pipsqueak?" She said with a knowing smirk.

Over the time he'd been here Jacob had gotten pretty close to Fox. They weren't dating, but their friends all joked about them.

"I don't see why he would."

"Well, neither do I, but I also don't know why he'd call a meeting for your mom. Unless he wanted to hit on her, but that would be a pretty dumb move for him."

Jacob straightened up, "He'd hit on her?"

"I mean- Jake, love you, but your mom is hot."

"Well, he shouldn't do that. It's one of his student's parent. And your friend's parent."

"Yeah, that's another reason why he wouldn't be doing it." The boy nodded stiffly. Octavia gave him a questioning look before joining him on the ground. "Can I ask why it would be so bad if he was hitting on her?"

"You could, but I wouldn't answer. I'd offend you and you'd stop being friends with me."

"Well, jeezus, now I have to know."

He waited for a couple more moments. "I hate men."

"Must be hard, hating yourself."

He let out a small laugh. "No, I- I love my mom, like to the point of where people made fun of me for it." He tries to keep his dad out of the conversation. "So I didn't care about her dating at first because I just wanted her to be happy. Yeah...She has _terrible_ taste."

Octavia let out a loud bark of laughter, "Oh, god. That's great. Is that the offensive part? Am I supposed to be offended that you think my brother is a bad choice for your mom?"

"No. Like- I just have no trust for guys. Like her first boyfriend was this asshole, Finn, he went out with her for almost a year, thought about all the future shit; cohabitation, marriage, kids. Then, his girlfriend shows up."

" _What_?" She was shrill. Octavia had been a fairly regular presence in the Griffin household, she loved Clarke; called her Mama C.

"Yup- Or sorry, actually his fiancé. Anyway, so he'd been with my aunt, Raven, for three years. And while she was on tour- _in the navy_ \- he decided to hit up someone else."

"Christ- wait, he was sleeping with your _aunt_?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. She isn't actually my aunt. She stuck around after they kicked Finn to the curb. They were living together so my mom offered her the spare room until she found a new place. They became best friends, I call her my aunt."

"Huh."

"Yeah. I mean, she doesn't have great taste in girls either, but..."

"But..."

"They're better than guys."

"Naturally. So where was I supposed to be offended? That you think Bell _might_ cheat on Mama C if they ever got together?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Not offended. He was kind of an asshole player before he got custody of me. Now he's all responsible and shit."

"You're not instilling confidence in me."

"Relax, he won't ask her out. Promise." Just then they heard the joint laughter coming from inside. "Alright, half promise."

The next day, during lunch, their small group was all sitting outside by the track.

"We should play truth or dare." Jasper was a childish idiot, it had been established.

"Really, Jas?"

"C'mon, it'll be fun."

Harper rolled her eyes and raised her eyebrow at her boyfriend, "Hey! I didn't suggest it, what're you staring at me for?" Monty raised his hands in defense.

"I'm not hearing a no! I'll go first, Octavia, truth or dare?"

She also rolled her eyes, "truth."

"What is the most embarrassing thing you've seen Bellamy do?"

"Easy. Try to talk to me about periods." They all laughed at the image she set up.

"Alright, Harper, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare?"

"Sit on Monty's lap, can't get up for the rest of lunch." The two blushed, but she did it.

"Fox, truth or dare?" She spoke quickly, desperate to get the attention off her

"Dare." She was smiling like always, sipping her water bottle.

"Kiss Jacob." She choked and Jacob went rigid.

"What?" She asked in a meek voice.

"You heard me."

She looked at him. "Um..."

"Just-" He leaned over and connected his lips to hers, eliciting a squeak from the back of her throat that very soon turned into a tiny moan. She responded in kind, moving against him. Only breaking apart when they heard the catcalls and whoops from their friends and Jasper pretending to throw up.

They kept moving the game around, the two of them kept blushing. Eventually, it came to Monroe who was blunt, didn't take any shit, and got the answers she wanted. Unfortunately, the answers she wanted were from Jacob.

"Jacob, truth or dare?"

Afraid of being dared to kiss Fox again, he chose truth.

"What happened to your dad? You only ever talk about your mom." With that, it went quiet and serious.

"Dude...you can't just ask that? What if he's dead or some shit?" He heard Jasper hissing at her.

"He's not dead." He curled up, pulling his knees under his chin. "He's in prison."

They all froze and looked at him.

"Prison," Octavia stated, obviously trying to think of a way to ask what he did.

"You can ask what he did. I don't care."

"What'd he do?" Harper asked quietly.

"Well, he was charged with domestic abuse and managed to avoid the attempted murder charge."

"Murder?" They were all talking really quiet.

"Yeah, he..uh," Jacob scratched the back of his neck, "he's an alcoholic and he hit my mom a lot. But she almost died when I was six. I had to call the ambulance."

"Jeezus...I just assumed divorce or something. You hating the guys your mom dates makes a lot more sense _now_ , you could have said _that_." Octavia said.

"Anyway, he's not dead. Just dead to me." He tried to regain his nonchalance, trying not to think about how the guy was scheduled to get out again in the next few months.

Lunch was over soon after that. They went back to being normal, but he still expected some strange looks for a little while. A hand went to his shoulder when they were exiting. It was Fox.

"Um...so, sorry if kissing me was weird..." She was watching her fidgeting hands.

"Not even a little bit." She looked up to him.

"Look, I know everyone makes fun of us for it, but I do kind of have a crush on you..." She was back to watching her hands.

A smile spread across his face as he reached for her hands, causing them to still. He separated them and took one, lacing their fingers together.

"Good, I thought it was just me." She smiled and blushed at him.

They walked to class holding hands, making Octavia laugh when they passed her.

"You fucking nerds deserve each other."

Months passed, it was close to the end of the school year. Life at Walden had actually turned out to be pretty great.

He'd brought Fox over during spring break and introduced her as his girlfriend. His mom fucking teased him. She loved Fox, though. Told her to call her Clarke and asked if she was staying for dinner.

Octavia came over a lot still, but her brother joined them for dinner sometimes. Jacob didn't think his mom was dating his teacher, but it felt a bit weird.

Jasper and Monty were introduced when they came to pick Fox up and gave the intimidation speech. Jacob had laughed at them, along with Fox, and told them he'd be more scared of a kitten. It wasn't entirely true, he knew Jasper would try to beat him up if he hurt Fox on purpose, but he wasn't particularly afraid of him.

His mom apparently already knew Monroe and Harper from her clinic. They still loved her, just changed doctors.

But it was close to the end of the year when _life_ came crashing back to reality. Bellamy was driving Jacob, Fox, and Monroe home with Octavia in the passenger seat.

They decided his house was closer, but they weren't expecting to find it so difficult to get up the street. Once Jacob saw the lights in his driveway, he jumped out of the car and bolted.

"Jacob!"  
"Jake! What are you doing?!"  
"Where are you going?!"  
"Dude! What the hell?!"

were all yelled at him.

"No, no, no." He chanted, running up the drive.

He got to his driveway when a hand came on his shoulder, jerking away he was met with a serious looking Bellamy with an out of breath Octavia and a worried looking Monroe and Fox.

"What's going on? You can't just-"

Jacob looked pointedly at Octavia, "My dad got out a month ago."

She went rigid and took off right before he did.

They got to the front door before a policeman tried to stop them.

"Hey, you can't go in there."

"It's my house!"

"It's a crime scene, is what it is." The cop stood in the doorway with crossed arms.

"Where's my mom?!" He was frantic, on the borderline of a panic attack.

Octavia looked back, wondering why the rest hadn't followed. She saw them behind a new barrier arguing with a cop, she also saw Clarke sitting in the back of an ambulance.

"Jacob," She shook his shoulder, but he ignored her, "Jake. Jacob! _Jacob_!" She yelled.

"What, Octavia?!" He was exasperated.

"Look." She pointed at Clarke. And he took off running again.

 _Mom's okay_ , it repeated in his head.

"Mom!" He threw his arms around her neck.

"Baby!" She wrapped him up in the blanket she had over her shoulders.

"What happened?" He already knew, but he wanted to know.

"Rick got out, but you already knew that."

"Yeah..."

"Well, don't worry. He's not bothering us again."

"How? He's gotten out _twice_ now, how do you-"

"He's dead, Jacob." The boy pulled out of her grasp, look over her. She had the beginnings of a large bruise on her cheekbone, a split lip, and a cut above her eyebrow, a hand held her left ribs.

"You look like I did on my first day of school." She laughed a little before wincing. "What happened?"

"Normal stuff, I guess. But he had a knife. The police came. Mrs. Cartwig from next door heard me scream and called them. He put the knife to my neck when they pulled their guns on him. He was drunk again, he wasn't going to listen." She jerked the blanket away from her shoulder to show her shirt had been ripped and replaced with bandages. "And now I have the unnecessary knowledge of what it's like to be shot."

He let out a watery laugh. Her description was a bit graphic, but she knew he wanted the whole truth.

"Clarke." Bellamy's voice drew all their attention.

"Jeezus, Ms. Griffin, are you okay? That's gotta hurt like a bitch."

She let out another stifled laugh, "Yes, Zoe, it does hurt like a bitch."

"Don't get shot, solid advice." They laughed at her a bit.

"Are you okay, though?" Bellamy sat next to her. Jacob had the slightest suspicion they might be something.

"I will be. But my ex-husband is dead, so I'm gonna sound shitty and say it's been a decent night."

"Not shitty." Her phone started buzzing, making a god awful noise on the floor of the ambulance.

She looked at it and grimaced, handing it to Jacob.

"Tell her he's dead and I'm not then hang up."

He answered.

"Abby."

" _Jacob, my sweet boy, are you okay? I heard-_ " He twisted his face in disgust at the nickname.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Look-"

" _How about your mom? I just got off the phone with Marcus Kane. He said the news-_ "

"How the hell do you know my English teacher _and_ my principal?"

" _Oh, well, is that really important. The news said one dead, one in critical condition. Do you need me to come down there, you know-_ "

"Nope. Don't do that. Rick's dead. Mom's not in _critical condition_ , she's fine. Ope, gotta go, there's...a policeman that wants to talk? I don't know. Gotta go."

" _I-_ "

He hung up before she could continue.

"Critical condition? Principal?" His mom looked at him weirdly.

"News says you're dying. I don't want to know what she does in her personal time, I don't like her enough to know what she does in her professional time."

She gave him a high five, "me neither."

Bellamy let the two of them stay at his house until they could have their house back. And based on the looks he gave her on the drive he figured there was definitely something between them.

He was sitting on the couch with Octavia at one in the morning, eating ice cream and watching Archer.

"Is there something going on between your brother and my mom?" He asked.

"Yeah, probably. And you know you can call him Bellamy, right?"

Jacob shrugged.

"Do you still not like him?"

"It's not that I don't like him, I just-" He stopped himself. He did mostly trust Bellamy, he drove him home a lot, gave him extra help with the history homework, and has proven he cares about Jacob's mom, even if it _is_ platonic feelings. "Nevermind."

"Nevermind?"

"Nevermind. He's fine."

"Really." She looked at him, dumbfounded.

"What? I figured she'd meet someone that would be good for her, I just didn't expect it to be my history teacher."

Octavia smiled, shaking her head. "Then you wouldn't mind if I told you I saw her go in his room earlier, right?"

"I mind that very much. I _really_ don't want to picture _anything_ and just those words have put an image in my mind that I will hate you forever for."

She fucking cackled. "I'm gonna be your aunt." She kept laughing.

"I'm gonna shoot myself." But he was smiling too, turning back to the TV.

The next week Mrs. Sydney gave them their final writing assignment.

He told his friends when they were in the greenhouse in the Jordan's backyard.

"You're joking." Jasper looked at him with a dropped jaw.

He shook his head, "Nope. Write about your most traumatic moment or memory and how it made you feel."

"And you tried to get out of it, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, what'd she say?" Fox was curled into his side.

"I'd have to get a note from a trained medical professional, preferably one in the psychiatric field, to be excused."

"Jeezus Christ, is every adult in that school trying to force you into therapy?" Octavia laughed, leaning against her boyfriend's chest.

"I guess so, then again. A basket case like me shouldn't even be allowed in a public school."

"My thoughts exactly, I'm only dating you for attention from the media."

"Jokes on you, you wasted months for a nice singular appearance on the news."

"Damn." She planted a kiss on his mouth, "Worth it, though."

"Ew! Get a room! No! I lied! Do not do that! Just- separate, like five feet minimum." Jasper struggled for words.

Fox scooted over until she was sideways on her boyfriend's lap. "Nah, I'm good."

Jasper whined and buried his face in his hands.

"Dude, just bring Maya to one of these and you won't be the only one without a partner," Monty suggested.

"Monroe doesn't have a partner!" He said, pointing and not looking at her.

"Hold up," She told her phone, "What the hell are you dragging me into? I'm on the phone with my girlfriend."

"I'm getting Maya." He pouted, walking out of the greenhouse as they laughed at him.

"Hey, did your birthday already pass? Or can I still be a good girlfriend?" Fox asked him quietly while everyone moved onto what he could fake as a traumatic experience. He chuckled quietly.

"You already are, but no, my birthday is in two weeks."

"Great. I need to figure out what I'm doing."

"You can't give me you brother's weed, he already tried on Christmas. My mom took it-" He paused, "Christ, now that I think about, I'm pretty sure she smoked it with Bellamy."

"What? Brother? Who said my brother's name?" Octavia stuttered, rising from her position against Lincoln.

"Jake thinks his mom and your brother smoked his confiscated weed."

She pauses. "After Christmas?" He nodded, "Yeah, they definitely did. No question."

Jasper came back, "Hey, Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know a woman named Raven Reyes? Or is she another reporter chick?"

"No, it's my aunt? Why?"

"Ok, she's out front. She said she's your ride and wanted to meet the tiny barbie she hears about all the time. I assume she means Fox."

"Yeah, probably." He laughed. "You don't have to if you don't want to." He offered her an out.

"Nah, she sounds great." She got off him and offered her hand.

"Ok, how do mom and dad _not_ notice you have a boyfriend, he's here _all the time_."

"The same way they notice you don't have one. Age. I'm a 14-year-old girl, their innocent baby, who the fuck am I gonna date? You are their 18-year-old son, who hasn't had a single girlfriend in high school, they're beginning to assume you're gay and hiding it from them."

He nodded as they were exiting, trying to process her words. "Wait, what!?"

The two laughed, holding hands and walking through the house. "He has a good point though, your parents could probably walk in on us making out and be like, oh platonic kissing, I remember that. Have fun you two." She laughed even more but agreed.

Walking out they found Raven leaning against her motorcycle.

"Christ, it hasn't even been a year and you're so much bigger." He laughed before hugging her. "And you must be Fox." She stuck her hand out.

"Yeah," Fox was adorably shy around new people.

"Great to meet you. I'm not actually your ride, I just wanted to say hi."

"So you tracked me down?"

"Maybe."

"Mom and her boyfriend are home, aren't they?" She nodded and He shook his head with a smile, "How long are you staying?"

"After your birthday. And if I like it, I might move out here." He perked up.

"That _would_ be a good birthday present."

"Nuh uh. I already got you a present that counts for Christmas too."

He gave her a questioning look but she didn't spill.

"So, yeah, have fun with your girlfriend. Don't do anything I'd do. And don't mentally scar her brother."

"I will, you're nasty, already have."

"Perfect. Glad we had this chat, see you at home." She ruffled his hair before putting her helmet back on.

"Your aunt is pretty cool."

"Yeah," He agreed and they went back to join their friends.


	22. Bunker Kids Pt 2

Word Count: 2,501

Characters: Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Nathan Miller / Harper McIntyre / Wells Jaha / Tony [OMC] /

Characters Mentioned: Myles / Zoe Monroe / Sterling / Marcus Kane / Cage Wallace /

Relationships: Bellamy/Clarke / Miller/Tony /

Summary: Sequel-ish to Bunker Kids (Chp. 16).

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot /

A/N: Alright, I wanted to do something else, but this is what came to mind. I know it's short, but I had to leave in the middle of writing the fight scene and lost all inspiration for it, I'm sorry.

* * *

They were laying in his bunk. Clarke's head on his chest, tracing invisible patterns on his peck. It had been one year since he'd been transferred.

"Still don't regret coming here?" She asked him tentatively.

"Never. If I hadn't, I'd never have gotten to meet you." It had also been one year since they started dating.

"Good." She pecked a kiss to the corner of his lips.

Bellamy knew a lot about her.

He knew her tattoo was a tramp stamp of a Phoenix.

He knew Miller was her first and best friend.

He knew she was three points away from becoming a Medical personnel.

He knew she _was_ the best in her class and the class above.

He knew she was seventeen and her birthday was October twenty-fourth.

It had been a year, he knew so much. But there was still so much more he didn't know about her.

"Hey, can I ask something?"

"Yeah..."

He began tracing his fingers up her spine.

"Why do you have so many scars on your back...?"

She stiffened for a moment, before sitting up and swinging her legs off the bed. She hung her head in her hands and took a deep breath.

"You don't-"

"It's fine. I...Well, you know what happened when I first got here, right?"

He knew Cage had beaten her, brutally, leaving her bleeding to explain that he was making an example out of her.

"Yeah."

"Alright, and you obviously know that's what pushed me to be the best I could. Not every time was a success..."

She went over what happened.

How he had lashed her with his belt when she was nine, eleven, and fourteen.

How she had been beaten in holding by both her cellmate and the guards.

How training ruthlessly had left her with plenty of scars, both physical and emotional.

"I-" She broke off when it got close to explaining what had actually happened to Wells.

He knew that her helicopter story was bullshit, it's what the bunker told everyone as a cover up, but he didn't know the real story.

"You know it's fine. I don't need to know everything." He rubbed circles into her back.

"I know. I just hate it."

"What?"

"It feels like I'm lying to you."

"You're not. It's fine to keep somethings to yourself." She leaned back again, her body strewn across his lap.

"I killed my best friend..." She spoke in a whisper, afraid if she was any louder someone would actually hear.

"What?"

"Wells, I killed him."

"Clarke..."

"It's my fault he's dead."

It wasn't. Well- not entirely anyway.

At the age of eleven testing becomes a team event.

Wells and Clarke were paired together first, it was how they first became friends. But Clarke being Clarke meant she was better than him, always. So when Kane offered the chance to test against the fourteen class - they were twelve - Clarke jumped at the opportunity, Wells wasn't so excited. She spent the time leading up to the test training with him, preparing him. In the end, it wasn't enough. After they all went under and entered the virtual ring, Wells started freaking out. Clarke tried to calm him down, but the other kids used it against him. One of the other kids sank a knife into his heart, sending him into cardiac arrest in reality.

"It's my fault he's dead. I shouldn't have pushed him into it, but I did. He died because I was so focused on myself."

"Clarke it's not your-"

"Yes, it is. I have him in here to remind me every day." She tapped her temple.

"What?"

"Something happened, I don't know what, but I have his voice in my head. I'm not crazy or anything, it's his thoughts and everything. I only know that because he says the same thing."

 _That's because he's right. It's not your fault. I should've been able to take them, Clarke. They were weak. It's not your fault I'm dead, it's mine and that other kid's fault._

She rolled her eyes at the voice.

"Clarke. It's not your fault. What happened to the other kid?"

"Um..." He got cut out in The Culling. Something Bellamy wasn't aware of yet. "He's not here anymore."

"He left with the eighteen class?"

"Sure."

"Clarke?"

"I'll tell you another time." The bell rang rather loudly. She pecked his cheek, "I gotta go teach."

"We're not done talking about this."

"I know." She huffed before leaving towards the gym.

* * *

XXX

* * *

Bellamy walked out of the barracks determined to find Miller. He was immensely confused.

Nate was sitting outside the control room, no doubt waiting for his boyfriend.

"Miller, I got some questions."

"And you aren't asking your girlfriend because...?"

"She's training the younger class and being evasive."

"Ah, then feel free."

"Wells." With the one word his friend stiffened and clammed up.

"You gotta-"

"I already know what happened, Clarke told me."

"Oh, then-"

"What happened to the other kid? The one who...you know..."

"Oh, um, he got booted after The Culling."

"The what?"

"The Culling? It's at the end of this week too. That's why we have don't have mandatory training."

"What is it?"

"Clarke didn't tell you?"

"No. Miller, if I ask you, I don't know."

"Every year the seventeen class has a thing called 'The Culling', it's eliminating the weaker personnel and moving the stronger ones up to the eighteen class when they're ready."

"And the weaker ones?" He already knew the answer.

"Outliers." He winced at the word alone.

"Why wouldn't Clarke tell me?"

"I don't know, man."

The door opened and out came Tony, Miller's boyfriend.

"Hey, Blake. Nate." Miller rolled his eyes with a smirk, standing up to embrace his boyfriend.

"Tony. Bellamy here was just asking about The Culling."

"Oh yeah, that's this week, right?"

"Yeah, Friday."

"Damn. You two should be training, not sitting around. That's kind of the point of this week, seeing who sits around and who keeps up their daily routine." Tony gave Miller a quick kiss before pushing them both towards the gym.

"So she told you about Wells?"

"Yeah."

"Damn..."

"She still blames herself."

"I know. It's stupid, but I get it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I mean, if I killed my friend and their voice was trapped in my head, I'd blame myself too."

"Wait- you know about the voice?"

"Huh? Yeah. Like the machine backfired and part of his subconscious went into hers while they were trying to disconnect him."

"Jeezus..."

"Yeah."

They walked into the gym, finding Clarke and an eleven-year-old boy circling each other.

"Uh oh. One of them challenged her."

"They can do that?"

"Yeah, they just get their ass kicked."

The small boy lunged at her, Clarke dodged, reaching out and grabbing his foot. She pushed it up, making him somersault onto his back. He launched back up, resuming his fighting stance. His next move was faking a punch towards her stomach. She went to block it, missing the fist coming for her face. She stumbled backward but didn't fall like expected. She got close, feigning a shot to his face while actually sweeping his feet out from under him, sending him onto his back. She pinned him down, holding him while someone counted to three.

After three she rose, offering her hand to help him up. He gripped her forearm and pulled himself up.

"Little fuckers gotta learn not to challenge their superiors."

"You ever do it?"

"Me? Fuck no. Clarke? Yes. But she put Kane on his ass, I don't know how, but she did it." He looked over at his girlfriend, impressed.

She looked over and saw him watching. She gave a slight smile and waved, it was then he remembered he was mad at her for not telling him about The Culling. He turned away with a hard look on his face, making her frown.

He and Miller taped their hands and began sparring. After an hour, Bellamy had been knocked down twice and pushed out of the ring once, Miller had been knocked down once and pushed out three times.

The bell rang once more, excusing them all to dinner. Clarke came jogging over, placing her hand on his arm.

"Hey, Bell-" The feedback from the PA system cut her off.

" _All females from the seventeen-year-old class are required to report to the barracks immediately. Males will proceed to the cantina and stay there. The Culling has been moved up to tomorrow._ " It cut off, causing people to run out of the gym.

"Bell-"

"I know what it is. Just go."

"Bell, I-"

"Clarke, you need-"

"Shut up! I'm trying to tell you something!" She yelled at him. He shut up. "I was going to say, if something happens- if _anything_ happens, I need you to know I love you. A lot. Okay?"

He softened a bit. "Clarke..."

"You don't have to say it back, I just needed to tell you."

He grabbed her face and smashed his lips against hers, "Of course I love you."

She kissed him again, long and hard, before running off to grab food then rush back to the barracks.

* * *

XXX

* * *

He hadn't seen Clarke in two days.

The Culling had started the day before.

Miller was safe. So were Myles and Sterling.

He didn't know if Clarke had gone yet. He didn't know if Harper had. He didn't know if Monroe was gone. He didn't know if any of the girls were safe.

" _Bellamy Blake._ " His name was called. It was his turn to go.

He walked out into the ring. Her words circulated through his head when his opponent walked out.

 _If something happens- if_ anything _happens, I need you to know I love you. A lot._

Her hair was cut short, red streaks flying through it. She had long sleeve black shirt on, with fingerless gloves covering her hands. Her pants were Capri-leggings and she had no shoes on. No socks on. She wore a grim expression. One begging for him to remember. One begging for forgiveness.

" _Bellamy Blake will face against Clarke Griffin._ "

* * *

XXX

* * *

" _Rules are: the two of you will fight until..._ " the voice faded out as he stared at her. He had to fight his girlfriend. The girl he loved, he had to physically attack her. He snapped back to reality when the ending of the PA's speech was near. " _...terminating this battle._ _Does either party forfeit?_ " Neither said a word. Neither moved. " _I repeat, does either party forfeit?_ "

Clarke shook herself, raising her hand, "Aye."

He looked at her. "No. She doesn't."

"Bellamy-"

"Clarke. No."

" _Do the parties wish to communicate before coming to a decision?_ "

"Yes."  
"No."

" _You have five minutes. Begin._ "

Bellamy rushed over to her.

"Bellamy, I'm not making you an Outlier, I can't. I-"

"Clarke, shut up. You've been training your whole life for this."

"It doesn't-"

"C'mon. You're telling me there's no way we can both stay?"

"You weren't listening, were you?"

"I was a bit focused on the fact that I have to physically abuse my girlfriend."

"If both of us can last for thirty minutes, the competition will be terminated."

"We could do that, right?"

"You have to give full effort, Bell. Cage is watching, I can't go easy on you otherwise the time will be extended."

"I can hold my own, Clarke."

"Bellamy-"

"You're not forfeiting. Neither am I. We're gonna hold out for a half hour, okay?"

She hesitated. "Clarke, come on. I love you, we can do this, okay?"

She nodded.

" _Time's up. I repeat, does either party forfeit the match?_ "

Both shook their head.

" _Please take your corners and stances._ "

Clarke gave him a quick peck before retreating to her corner.

She loosened her shoulders, raising both hands, open, in front of her; open and ready for defense.

He took his stance in his own corner; hands by his sides, head down, psyching himself up to try and fight his girlfriend.

" _The match will begin with the buzzer. This is not the virtual reality testing you are used to, death is possible. Weapons can be found on the east and west walls._ " They looked and found knives and spears, staffs and projectiles. " _You will have thirty minutes to put one or the other on the ground, holding them there for ten seconds. When the buzzer goes, you may move._ "

A single beep.

Another beep.

Another.

A loud buzz went off, signaling the beginning of the match.

* * *

XXX

* * *

Clarke to run towards the knives. They were her specialty and he did tell her to not hold back.

She hid behind the rack. Popping her head up to see where he was. Once focused on where he was, she threw one of the daggers missing him by an inch when he ducked out of the way.

She was happy with him, but Cage would not be happy with her.

She was over thinking this when she heard the sound of his feet hitting the ground; he was charging her.

She launched herself to the right, avoiding him. Standing up, she dropped the daggers, readying her stance again.

He came at her, but she blocked his foot throwing him off balance. Supposedly. Instead, he came at her face with a solid punch. After she spit her blood onto the ground, she closed her hands. Taking an offense position.

He mimicked her, taking the first hit. She ducked under, hitting him in the ribs as she bypassed him. He keeled forward, grabbing his side. She walked back over, grabbing a staff. Once he saw what she was doing, he copied.

She took her stance, yet again, as did he.

" _Stop._ " They both dropped their aggressive nature, looking up towards the mirrored glass. " _You'll make it to the half-hour mark, even if you're ready to give up half way through, correct?_ " Neither move. " _Correct?_ " He reiterates, almost angrily. They both nod. A heavy sigh can be heard, " _Move on. You pass._ "

The exit door slides up. Leaving them both speechless.

" _Leave. We have others._ " The voice speaks.

The two drop their staffs and walk quickly towards the door. They find their friends there. Miller, Harper, Monroe, others.

"You two were put against each other?" Miller looked shocked.

"Yeah."

"And you made it?"

"Yeah."

"Both of you?" Harper sounded unsure.

"Yup. Both of us." Bellamy took her hand. "Now, what'll it take to get a drink in this place?"


	23. Final Descent

Genre: Generic (Can't think of where this would fit)

Rated: K+

Word Count: 1,074

Characters: Madi / Emori / Bellamy Blake / Clarke Griffin / Echo / John Murphy / Harper McIntyre /

Characters Mentioned: Raven Reyes / Monty Green /

Relationships: Bellamy/Clarke (kinda, not really) / Murphy/Emori /

Summary: Madi greets the seven Arkers from the rover with a gun pointed at them, yelling in trigedasleng and only speaking to Emori.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot / I'm pretty sure the actress _doesn'_ _t_ have different colored eyes, so I just made that up bc I couldn't think of anything else /

A/N: _I_ don't even know what I was planning to do with this, but it's a short chapter and I wanted to update.  
I feel like half the dialogue in this is in trigedasleng...I do have translations, but remember everything is super loose. (So many goddamn translations, I apologize...)  
All translations will be in the bottom notes, thanks guys, I'm sorry again.

* * *

Clarke is back at the house making food when it comes down. Madi is on watch.

It's been a month since the prisoner dropship landed and two weeks since the second one. They have been nothing but hostile, but they don't come near the house.

Madi is perched on the roof of the rover when the boom sounds out. Looking up she sees something headed for what appears to be the Oasis.

 _"It's the only patch of green on this entire planet as far as we know, so to us, it will be our own little oasis._ _"_ Clarke had explained.

She checked the time and looked back at the house, she had time to go check it out.

Madi pulled the rover up to the edge of the forest in time to see the door open with a loud swish of white smoke. The miners surely saw and were on their way; if these were Clarke's friends she had to find out fast.

 _Stick to the descriptions Clarke gave you. There should be seven. Keep yourself comfortable no matter what. Don't show fear in case it's not them._

Madi repeated this to herself as she pulled her mask over her face and loaded her gun.

She sat in the car until there were five standing on the ground, two girls and three guys admiring the sky and the grass, then she pulled the vehicle forward even more. Actively startling them in the process.

She jumped out and slammed the door, " _chit yu tagon_?"

They stared at her like she was insane until she pulled her gun out.

" _Nodotaim, chit yu tagon_?" Most of them backed up with their hands raised.

"Echo!" One of the girls yelled. Two more girls came into view at the entrance.

" _Las gou. Chit yu tagon_?" Maddi was yelling.

" _Goufa, weron yu nomon_?" The one named Echo spoke out at her but Madi's attention was focused on the woman behind her.

" _Yu. F_ _rikdreina._ " She motioned for the girl to walk towards her, and she started to before one of the guys jumped in front of her.

"Woah, woah, no. You don't know them. They have a gun." Madi pulled the mask off and let it hang to the side.

"John, she's a child." The woman began to walk towards her again, the two walked over to the rover where their speech could only be heard in murmurs.

" _Chit yual tagons_?" Madi was getting impatient.

"Emori, John, Echo, Harper, Monty, Raven, and Bellamy," Emori spoke, gesturing to each person as she listed their names. " _We sei yu no bash op_." She tried to reassure the girl. Madi looked up to meet her eyes. Emori stiffened for a moment before letting a small smile cross her face, " _Frikdreina goufa..._ "

Madi had two different colored eyes. Heterochromia iridum.

" _Fiya. No wich in enimou, nami_?" Emori nodded her head in understanding.

" _Yu chich gonasleng_?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Sometimes I get caught up, you know?"

"Absolutely." Emori was smiling at her.

" _Madi? Come in._ " The static was quiet but she could hear it.

"Which one is Bellamy?" Madi remembered everything. _Clarke, miners, food, her friends_.

"Bellamy!" Emori yelled, walking over with Madi following closely behind.

"Yeah?" He was clearly wary of the child.

"You're Bellamy Blake?" Madi studied him. He nodded. "Thought you'd be taller." Madi shrugged when she heard the siren. " _Skirsh. Mafta op ai. Veidas kom nout_."

"Who?" Emori stopped her from running.

"Prisoners. Come on, we have to get to the house!" She ran back to the rover where the radio was still crackling.

" _Madi. Come in, Madi. I heard the siren. Madi!_ "

" _Klark, komon_!" She looked up once the vehicle was started and saw the seven standing in the clearing, the two known as Echo and Emori yelling at the other five. "We must go now! They approach fast!"

The siren went off again, louder this time, closer.

Bellamy looked reluctant but jogged over to the vehicle, climbing in the passenger seat while the others piled in the back.

Madi swung the car backwards and drove in the direction of the house.

"We never got your name, _yongon_..." Emori pointed out.

"Madi."

"Alright, _Madi_ , mind telling us where you're taking us?" Bellamy crossed his arms.

" _Yu jos bilaik em tel ai hashta_..." She muttered under her breath and proceeded through the woods.

"Just like who told you?" Echo spoke from the back.

"What?" Bellamy looked back at her.

"She said you're just like she told me about. Meaning someone gave a description of you to her. Who?"

They pulled into the large field in front of ALIE's house.

"Hey, what the hell-!" The siren suddenly stopped as the garage door opened and Madi pulled the car in.

The lights came on and she turned the car off and jumped out.

"Hey wait-!"

" _Shof op_. She'll be happy to see you." Madi walked through the door letting in close behind her. Bellamy was too busy being skeptical, Raven was being amazed by the lighting and machinery, John was questioning Emori, and Echo, Monty, and Harper were all following Madi. Not letting skepticism hold them back.

" _Madi, yu un toli sich_." Clarke was still in the kitchen.

"Doubt it..." She mumbled under her breath again.

"What did you just say?"

"Just come out here and stop being mad at me!" She was getting impatient.

"You think that just because-" Her words fell flat as the three behind the girl stood up straighter.

"There are four others in the garage, mostly being afraid of me I think."

"Madi..." She cut herself off when Monty ran over to embrace her.

"Told you I wouldn't be in trouble." She muttered again.

"You guys need to come in here..." Harper muttered when she cracked open the door.

"What's so great-" Bellamy's surly mood ceased the second he saw Clarke, fallen to her knees holding a sobbing Monty. "Clarke..."

The emotional blonde met his eyes over her friend's shoulder, "Bellamy..."

She dropped her friend to throw herself into his arms.

"I thought you were dead..." He muttered

"So did I..."

"I'm glad you're alive."

Clarke let out a watery laugh and buried her face in the junction of his neck, "me too..." She looked behind him and saw her other friends and her daughter, smiling. "Me too..."

* * *

 **All translations:** g o o . g l / krZNUx

 _Chit yu tagon_ \- What's your name?  
 _Nodotaim chit yu tagon_ \- Again, what's your name?  
 _Las gou. Chit yu tagon_ \- Last time. What's your name?  
 _Goufa, weron yu nomon_ \- Child, where's your mother?  
 _Yu. Frikdreina_ \- You. Mutant.  
 _Chit yual tagons_ \- What's all your names?  
 _We sei yu no bash op_ \- We mean you no harm.  
 _Frikdreina goufa_ \- Mutant child.  
 _Fiya. No wich in enimou, nami_ \- Sorry. No trust anymore, know what I mean?  
 _Yu chich gonasleng_ \- You speak English?  
 _Skrish. Mafta op ai. Veidas kom nout_ \- Shit. Follow me. Invaders from the North.  
 _Klark, komon_ \- Clarke, coming.  
 _Yongon_ \- Child.  
 _Yu jos bilaik em tel ai hashta_ \- You're just like she told me about.  
 _Shof op_ \- Shut up.  
 _Madi, yu un toli sich_ \- Madi, you're in so much trouble.


	24. New Beginnings Pt 2

Rated: T

Word Count: 6,028

Summary: Second part to New Beginnings

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot /

A/N: There's gonna be another part, because I suck and I can't end stories. Most of the characters and relationships are the same as the last chapter. Love yall but it's 3:54AM so I'm just gonna post this and go to sleep

* * *

 **xXx**

Clarke was straddling his lap, aggressively kissing him, one might even say she was attacking his face.

Raven walked in the door and fake vomited.

"Jeezus, you're _lucky_ I didn't bring the kid home. He'd be even more traumatized." She rolled her eyes and went upstairs.

Clarke rested her forehead against his shoulder as the two of them laughed at Raven's crude interruption.

"I should probably tell him, though. He's weird about this stuff."

" _He already knows!_ " Came from upstairs.

"Problem solved."

"You are weirdly ok with all of this."

"All of what?"

"I have a son. I had an abusive ex who tracked me down to kill me and who died because I got shot through the shoulder. And now my best friend, who I met because her fiancé was cheating on her _with_ me, is staying with me for three weeks. Most people would've jumped ship at son let alone stay through the rest of it."

"Well, I'm not most people."

"Ah, very true." She went back to kissing him, grinding down on his lap a bit.

He groaned, "Mm, that's not fair."

"Why not?"

"Can't do anything about it. You're injured and your friend is here."

"A: I had to listen to her rebound fuck so many people, she fucking owes me. And b: barely hurts."

"You got shot."

"I am aware."

"That can't 'barely hurt'. No way."

She held out for a couple more seconds before caving. "Fine, it's very painful. Happy?"

"No," He pecked her lips before removing her from his lap, "Why would I be happy that you're in pain?"

She tried shrugging before realizing what a mistake it was, whimpering audibly.

"And I'm off to find the pain medication." He stood and she certainly didn't stare at his ass as he walked away; she did.

After a few Vicodin, she was passing out against his shoulder.

He picked her up like it was nothing, "this. This right here is why I could not hold out longer than I did."

"Because I can pick you up?" He smirked, loving her slurring speech.

"Mmnmm, no. You're just great at everything- like, everything. And I just had a very hard time ignoring that fact."

He chuckled as he set her down on the bed.

Exiting the room and shutting the door, he ran into Raven.

"You aren't going to screw her over, right?"

"What? No. Who gets into a relationship intending to screw the other person over?"

"Lexa Anthony."

"Huh?"

"Dated Clarke for the sole purpose of getting closer to her mom. Once she found out Clarke didn't talk to Abby she dropped her. She went into the relationship for the only reason of using Clarke. So, yes, people do it. I take it you are not one of those people?"

"No. Absolutely not."

She studied him for a minute before relenting, "Alright, cool. Go pick up her kid and his girlfriend in an hour. They're both eating here."

"What about me?"

"You aren't living here?"

"No..."

"Oh. I figured you were."

"Why?"

"You were on the couch in your boxers. You're _still_ in your boxers. Honestly, did you bring pants?"

"You provide a fair point. No, I don't live here."

"Then yes. Join dinner."

"I have a sister."

"Congrats, I have four older brothers."

"No, I have a younger sister. She's Jacob's friend. I have custody of her so she lives with me."

"Christ. Ok so it's going to be me, Clarke, you, Jake, Barbie, and your sister. Right?"

"Yes. Wait, what? Barbie?"

"Oh, Jake's girlfriend. I refuse to accept that he's dating."

"Ah."

He put his pants on and shows Raven. She applauds him. They watch a movie until he has to leave.

They get in the car reeking of marijuana. He's aware that Jasper smokes and grows his own stash, he's also aware all three don't partake, but he doesn't know if Clarke is aware.

"Does your mom know about Jasper?"

"What about him?"

"You realize you all smell, right?"

"Shit."

"I'm going to take that as a no." They'd come to the realization just as he'd pulled into the driveway. "I'm pretty sure she's still asleep so just go shower."

Octavia and Fox look at him like he's crazy. "What?"

"Clothes. Our clothes smell. We don't carry around extras."

"You could wash them."

"No. Other. Clothes. Bell, how much clearer would you like me to be."

"You can borrow my pajamas? Mom's knocked out on Vicodin, right? There's time to wash your clothes." Jacob suggests, shrinking into the seat as he does so.

"Yeah, whatever." Octavia doesn't care either way.

"Um, sure." Yup. His girlfriend is going to be wearing his clothes. He feels very mature for his age all of a sudden.

After an hour they both come down. Octavia in his basketball shorts and a gray tee. Fox in his plaid pants that are falling off of her and a long sleeve shirt.

He hates being a pubescent boy. He just tries to think about his mom and Bellamy again, it does the trick. They all almost get away with it, but Clarke comes down only a minute before the dryer buzzes.

She takes in the girls attire, says, "I don't want to know." And joins Raven in the kitchen.

 **XxX**

His birthday comes quicker than most. He was excited. His friends of less than a year were better than any he had before.

Harper and Monroe give him advice on girls, the taboo kind. He walks away in search of something less awkward. He does not find it.

Octavia gives him a box of condoms. He practically runs.

Why is it, now that he's fifteen, that his friends assume he'll have sex? He's fifteen!

Then again, that's also the counter argument. He's fifteen! Most of what he thinks about is sex and girls.

His mom gets him a laptop, Jasper jokes that it's because she doesn't want to see porn in her internet history anymore. He takes a minute, but it might be true, he has no idea and he's not going to ask.

Raven paid for his driver's ed. She was right, it also counted for Christmas. He wraps her in a hug.

"Thank you so much!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm great, I know." She still smiles and hugs him tighter.

Fox had to stay at home because she was sick with the flu.

But he does see her at school on Monday.

"Alright, I'm terrible. I'm sorry."

"What? No, you're not. Why would you be?"

"I missed your birthday. Also, I couldn't find a present you'd like."

"It's fine, you called and wished me a happy birthday. And besides, it was really awkward. Our friends are very focused on sex."

"Trust me, I'm aware." She said it with such a tone, he raised an eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes, "When I was trying to find something for you, Octavia threw a box of condoms at me and told me to give myself."

His eyes went wide. "She still gave me the box."

Fox laughed very loudly, causing a few people to look at her. "God, I hate her sometimes."

"You don't, but I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks," She nudged his shoulder with her own as they walked to her class. He could sense there was something she wasn't saying.

"What?"

"What?"

"You want to say something else, I can tell."

She flushed for a moment, "I mean...I just...I get that they're being stupid and joking, but..."

It took a minute to realize what she was saying, but then he turned as red as her. It all led to a very long, in-depth conversation that made them miss fifth.

He got home close to two-thirty in the afternoon, so it was a pretty big shock to find his mom home.

"Mom?"

"Oh. Hey, baby."

"Why are you home?" He looked around.

"Gramma has decided to come grace us with her presence."

"Shit..."

"Mmhmm, lucky you, I got you out of it best I could."

"Really?" She got up and threw an empty backpack at him.

"Yes, so go pack. You're gonna go stay with Bellamy."

"Um, why? He's _your_ boyfriend. I'm pretty cool not associating with that."

She gave him a dead look. "Octavia is also your friend and shut up things are going well with me and him so you have to deal with him too."

"Fine." He took the backpack and started to head upstairs before retreating, "Wait, how long have you two been together? Because it's been a while, I know that."

"Oh, um..." She looked uncomfortable.

"Literally just a rough estimate of time. The only time I saw you together before he started eating with us, was the teacher meetings."

"Oh. No. It was after that. After the second time, he ate over here?" She took a guess.

"Cool, so like...after winter break?"

She nodded and hummed in agreement. After he had his belongings packed they got in the car, knowing they only had an hour until she had to go pick up her mom from the airport.

"So, two things. One: why is Abby even coming? And two: how did I escape it?"

"No idea, but I'm going to try my hardest to not murder her. And you still have to see her for a day, I said you were doing a school trip. She originally planned to stay for five days but after I said you'd be gone for six she extended it to seven, she still won't miss work to see us but, fuck weekends."

"I can really stay home if you want me to."

"God no. I'm already going to deal with a bunch of shit from her as is, I don't need her coming down on you too."

She had a point. Abby Griffin was a bitch, through and through. Whenever she came to visit, even in his elementary days she always made passive aggressive comments on how he was never good enough. It wasn't really difficult to see through her; she hated him, no matter what she said, for ruining her daughter's future plans.

"Alright. But why do I have to stay with your boyfriend, again? I have friends."

"The only male friend you have, who's parents I've met, is Jasper and his sister is Fox, so you can't stay there."

"I could've just stayed at another friend's house."

"Yeah, whatever. I might escape here so..."

"How are you going to explain him to Abby?"

"Who?"

"Bellamy. She was pretty much hoping you'd live your life as a spinster and focus on your career. I think she's waiting until I'm out of the house to actually try and reconnect with you, so what are you gonna do?"

"Uh...rub it in her face that I'm happy?"

"Sounds like a solid plan."

They pulled into his driveway where Octavia was waiting on the front steps.

"Hello, pipsqueak."

"Why? Why do you do this to me?"

She shrugged and hugged Clarke. "So why is he staying again?"

"My mother is a horrible person who I try to keep away from him."

"Ah. I got it."

After Clarke had left and the two teens were set up in the living room, waiting for Bellamy to get home, Octavia started talking.

"So...is she going to introduce Bell?"

"Huh?"

"To your grandma? Is she going to introduce him?"

"Oh. Fuck no, they'll probably never meet."

"Why?" That had somehow put her on the defensive.

"If my mom could've kept Abby away from me, she would've. Hell, I didn't meet the woman until I was six. Seriously, you and your brother want nothing to do with her."

"You didn't meet her until you were six?"

"My mom got pregnant in high school, Abby gave her two choices: get an abortion or get out of her house."

"I'm going to take a wild guess and assume she didn't have an abortion."

"Yeah, so she had to move in with the asshole. They pretty much didn't talk until she ended up in the hospital."

"Really?"

"Yup, then she suddenly cared again, crying in the waiting room. Then she waited until he was in prison to say she could've left me with him and moved back in with her. She's really _not_ a good person. If you want me to explain that to your brother so they don't get in a fight about it, I can. Because she's literally _never_ thought about introducing someone. She could get married and my grandmother would probably be the last to know."

Octavia just shrugged, "I don't know. I don't know if he knows why you're over here. If he asks about it, you can explain."

"Would he introduce her to your mom? If he could, anyway."

"Probably? I'm not really sure."

Jacob just shrugged again. "Alright. Well if anything she won't do it to save herself from murdering the woman. She _still_ makes comments on how my mom's life would've been better if I wasn't around. How she could've come back at any time. How I'll probably end up like the asshole."

"Fuck..."

"Yeah. So she'll definitely make comments about the both of you. Hell, she'll probably offer Bellamy money to-"

"Offer Bellamy money to what?" He walked through the door, loud voice cutting through the heated conversation.

"Break up with Clarke." Octavia supplied.

"What?"

"Doin' this now I guess..." Jacob rolled his eyes and proceeded to go over the reasons why he thought his mother wouldn't introduce her boyfriend to her mother.

"Huh. She sounds...interesting."

"Please just say she sounds like a bitch, I do. I don't even call her grandma. And anyway, I don't know for sure, it's just my prediction."

Bellamy shrugged off his suggestions and proceeded to make dinner.

 **xXx**

Clarke sat in the car, clenching her jaw as her mother explains all how she can "finally move on with her life"

"You realize I still have a son, correct?" She ground out.

Abby seemed a bit taken aback, "Oh, yes. I suppose it's only been fourteen years."

 _Because if it had been eighteen I suddenly wouldn't have a son? Is that what you are implying?_

"Yup. Remember, I told you about his school trip this week? It's why you extended your trip by two days."

"Oh. Right, of course."

Clarke rolled her eyes and turned up the radio to blast some loud rap song that Abby no doubt disapproved of.

It wasn't until after they'd pulled into the driveway, Abby criticized her house and it's location, and they had coffee that her mother revealed her true purpose for visiting.

"You're joking, right? I have a fucking son! I cannot emphasize that enough to you! You may not have cared about having a child that has needs beyond eating and breathing, but I do!"

"Clarke, you know I care-"

"I really don't! You're telling me to go back to fucking _med school_ so I can 'fulfill my true potential' and it's bullshit!"

"You don't need to explain to me that you have a child, I'm aware of that fact, I'm simply trying to say it shouldn't hold you back-"

"He's not holding me back from anything! For Christ sake, I don't even want to be working at the fucking OB/GYN but I am, just so I can pay for my son, Jacob, to actually do what he wants. No fucking ultimatums like you threw at me my entire fucking life and are still throwing at me!"

"I did no such thing."

Clarke let out a loud bark of laughter, "You offered to send me to college only if I went pre-med. I couldn't go to my prom if I wanted you to keep paying my hospital bills. I couldn't even live in my own house if I chose to keep my baby."

"These were all when you were-"

"Pregnant? No, it started way before that. I could either live with you and keep my friends and the lifestyle I was accustom to, or I could live with dad in his shoebox of an apartment halfway across the country because _you_ took everything from him. I could take studio art in junior high only if I took AP Bio til I graduated. Do you want me to give more? Because I can."

"Those are not ultimatums, sweetheart. Those were choices between a better choice and the wrong one."

Clarke stared at her mother, flabbergasted and completely speechless. Luckily her phone saved her, and even luckier it was Bellamy.

"I have to go to work," She lied, "Go catch up with your friends that you somehow have in this town. Seriously, I'm not giving you a spare key nor am I leaving you in my house alone."

"Clarke, I am a fully grown woman-"

"Who feels the need to control everything in my life and will move _everything_ to the 'right' place." Abby looked around, judging everything. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Let's go."

After she dropped her mother off at some fancy restaurant where she could talk with Diana, Clarke hightailed it over to her boyfriend's house. He opened the door with a smile, but it dropped as soon as he saw how frustrated and tired she looked just after an hour and a half with her mother.

"Christ, is it too late to say you volunteered to chaperone Jake's field trip?" He tried for a joke and got a weak laugh as she collapsed in his arms.

"She wants me to abandon Jake with her and go back to med school..." Clarke murmured in his shoulder, earning a tight squeeze.

"She must be deranged." That got a small chuckle.

"It's what she did, why wouldn't I?"

"Because you are capable of actual human emotions, such as love." Bellamy pulled her in, shutting the door and turning her around, keeping his arms wrapped around her waist. "You'll be fine, it's only a week."

"You highly underestimate Abby's soul-crushing abilities," Jacob commented as he walked past them.

"Be nice, she's your grandma."

"She told mom to kill me and abandon me with Rick, she's no one to me." He shouted back.

Bellamy gave her a quizzical look which got a heavy sigh in response, "he's not wrong."

They all sat down at the dinner table to eat. Most of the conversation was directed by Octavia and it was all about Clarke's mom.

"So would you describe her as soulless?"

"Yes," Jacob answered at the same time his mother did, shoving spaghetti in his mouth.

"Huh. So, why again, wouldn't you introduce her to us?" Bellamy choked at his sister's question.

Clarke gave a blank stare. "I assume you don't want to be talked down to because you aren't rich and white."

Octavia nodded slowly, "Touché."

It continued until the meal was over and Bellamy banished the teens to their rooms, earning him two eye rolls and a few collective swears.

He sat on the couch, Clarke's head resting against his chest as she played with his hands.

"I wouldn't mind meeting her if you wanted me to..." he spoke quietly and cautiously.

"You don't have to do that, Bell, I wouldn't put you through that."

"But you want me to meet her..." She hadn't outright said no.

She stayed quiet for a while.

"It sounds terrible, but I really just want to rub it in her face that I'm happy with my life."

"You're right, you monster." He replied sarcastically, cocking his head to look at her. "There's nothing wrong with your life, the fact that you're happy is just a bonus."

"Correct. There _is_ nothing wrong with my life, according to normal people. But I am not a top surgeon who works shifts that are thirteen hours for six days a week and ignores her child's existence and happiness, exchanging it for money and ultimatums. Therefore, there's no possible way I could be happy. Oh! And I have not been through a dramatic divorce-" She saw him beginning to speak and held up her hand so she could continue, "that ended in me taking everything away from my husband because I found my child liked him better than me."

"Jeezus...was she trying to make a carbon copy?"

"I think that's what she assumes children are for."

They both let out an exasperated chuckle then it went quiet.

"So when do we plan on doing this?" Clarke looked at him.

"What?"

"Well you wanna rub it in, right? When?"

She sat up a little more straight.

"I want to but I'm still not going to put you through that. Seriously, I was with her for less than two hours and you saw how I was."

"Clarke, I want you to do something because you _want to_." She gets a small smirk on her face and looks up and down his body. "Not what I meant." But he has a smile on too.

She heavy sighs. "Fine. I'll find some time at a place with an easy escape route."

 **XxX**

They are all having dinner on the last day of Abby's trip. " _It's in the best interest of my bank account to eat out only twice a month and I'm not wasting both trips on you_." Was Clarke's excuse.

They ended up at Red Robin, it was Jacob's choice and Clarke assumed he just wanted to make his grandmother as uncomfortable as possible to make the meal go as quick as possible.

The three Griffin's are seated at one of the larger booths.

"Oh, I think we can-" Abby tried to get a small table with the hostess, but Clarke interrupted.

"Actually we have a few more people joining us in a bit."

"Oh." She pursed her lips in disgust but gave tight-lipped smile to try and erase that image. "Well, Jacob, you look very...grown up."

He was wearing ripped skinny jeans with a white, baggy Green Day Tee and a large, black zip-up. All with a snap back pulled on. He scoffed and began to read the menu.

Abby looked more than horrified that he was reacting to her like this but when she looked to Clarke for discipline her daughter was reading the menu as well.

"Who did you say was joining us?"

"I didn't," Clarke responded, not taking her eyes off the print in front of her.

"My girlfriend, mom's boyfriend and his little sister." Jacob supplied as the waiter came over.

Clarke got big greasy burgers for her, Bellamy, Octavia, and Jacob. While Jacob ordered the BLTA (bacon/lettuce/tomato/avocado) sans the B for Fox who was trying to be a vegetarian. Abby ordered a salad.

"Clarke...you got a boyfriend?" Her mother hedged, looking conflicted between 'thrilled it's not another girl' and 'you were supposed to focus on your career'.

"I did." She looked up to her mother only to be greeted with greedy eyes.

"Well, tell me more."

"You'll meet him in a few minutes, why don't you just say what you've been wanting to say to us the whole day."

"Clarke, I am insulted-"

"Save the act for someone who's willing to buy it." Jacob cuts in, not taking his eyes off his phone.

Abby clenches her jaw.

"Boarding school." That get's their attention.

"Excuse me?"  
"You're joking..."

"No. There's a very nice one, in _Europe_ , I think the boy would benefit well from it." Giving Jacob a very pointed look.

"I'm not going to some fancy dumbass school just because you don't like my attitude. You can't _actually_ get rid of me."

"I've never tried-"

"'Either you get an abortion or you get out of my house'." He recited back to her just as the others approached the table, pausing the conversation for home.

"Hey." Bellamy gave Clarke a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hey." Her jaw was still kind of clenched.

"Miss anything yet?"

"Oh just some nonsense," Jake replied, getting out to let Bellamy slide next to Clarke and Octavia in between the two boys. Fox on the end, tucked into his side.

"Hi," She whispered, but it was enough to replace the scowl on his face with a small, private smile.

"Hey." He whispered back.

"She's glaring at us."

"She's trying to ship me to Europe."

"It's like she doesn't know what parental love is."

"Just like that."

They look up from their private conversation to find Bellamy and Clarke chatting about their days while Abby makes distasteful faces at both groups.

"Why didn't I get to invite Lincoln again?" Octavia speaks up to no one in particular.

"Because I don't like him." Is Bellamy's immediate answer.

"Because we wanted you to feel left out. Jeezus O, keep up with the program." Is Jacob's.

"Because he's senior and wouldn't want to slum it with us?" Is Fox's guess.

"Because I didn't want to see you two sucking face my entire meal." Is Clarke's. She wins and gets a laugh out of everyone but Abby.

Bellamy chooses to bite the bullet early into the meal.

"So, Abby, Clarke tells me you're a doctor," He trails off but Jake can see his mom's private smile. Abby hates to be called a doctor, even though it's what she is.

"Yes. A surgeon to be precise." She speaks through gritted teeth.

"That's cool, what's that like?" It takes most of the meal to get her to stop.

"So, _Bellamy_ ," She speaks with actual disdain, "what is it that _you_ do?"

"I'm a history teacher at the high school. I actually have Jake and Fox in one of my classes." The two light up.

"He's a great teacher." Fox beams at him. But Abby is less than impressed.

"Not a very... _stable_ career these days. Budget cuts and all." She seems to be choosing her words carefully. Octavia looks ready to explode.

"Yeah, I suppose, but I like to think I'm pretty good at my job and it's what I like doing so...it's what I'm doing." He's kept a smile on the entire meal, Jacob is impressed.

"Hm." She has so much more to say on the matter but it will be left for when they get home. But Abby, of course, has to find the most uncomfortable subject possible. "So, _Octavia_ ," she continues to say their names like it's soap in her mouth, "why _is it_ that you're joining us this evening?"

"Where else would I be?"

"At home? Perhaps with your mother." She says it like it's a suggestion but Octavia already has a comeback.

"Well if I was with my mother I'd be in the cemetery, about six feet under." The older woman looks taken aback. "She's dead. In case you didn't register that."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Bellamy is actually her legal guardian. Has been for a while." Clarke says, but Jacob can hear the pride in his mother's voice.

"Really." He's sure Abby wants it to be a question but it comes out way too flat.

They finish the meal with no fist fights breaking out and no vocal arguments.

"Christ, I've never had a more passive aggressive meal in my life..." Octavia comments while they're walking to Bellamy's car.

"Really? That was nothing, mom didn't even bring up my grandpa."

"It gets worse?!" Fox asks, shocked.

"Definitely. Probably not for either of you, because I doubt she'll come back, but I still get to go to our house and have breakfast with her. Listening to her bitch about how none of you are good for our family 'image'. And how my mom should just pack up, send me to boarding school in Europe, and go back to med school."

They reach the car. Fox grabs his face and pulls him in for a deep kiss, earning a gag from Octavia as she gets in the vehicle.

"Not that I'm complaining," He's a bit out of breath and he's got a huge smile on his face, "but what was that for?"

"Well, if I'm going to be bad for your 'image', might as well make it a terrible image." She's smirking and so is he but Octavia honks the horn and all the adults come up behind them.

"Thanks for dinner Clarke, I'll see you later this week."

"Bye Fox. Bye O!" she yells already shut car. It gets her flipped off. "Bye Bell." She gives him a quick peck and whispers something in his ear before pushing her son towards their family car, being trailed by Abby whose stayed silent since Octavia mentioned her deceased mother.

She stays quiet for most of the car ride as well, only speaking up to ask Clarke to turn the radio down before returning to her silence. She doesn't say anything when they get inside the house either, going straight to the guest room.

"Twenty bucks says she starts bitching you out the second she thinks I've gone to bed," Jacob whispers.

"I'll up you fifteen and say she can't hold out that long," Clarke whispers back.

In the end, Jacob gets thirty-five dollars.

 **xXx**

She wants to slap the smug little smile that creeps across her son's face when they hear her mother call out to her from the first floor.

"I'll take my winnings in cash, please." She settles for giving him a noogie and a big wet smack of a kiss on his cheek. "Nasty, mom."

"Don't be a little shit." She goes down stairs to find her mother drinking a cup of tea, sitting in the recliner. Clarke doesn't even own tea.

 _Did she really bring her_ own _tea from DC?_

"Is Jacob asleep?" _It's nine-thirty, is she insane?_

"Yeah, just passed out." Clarke lies, knowing full well that he's at the top of the stairs listening.

"Clarke," She starts, setting her tea down and standing, "I really only want what's best for you."

"And you think that means shipping him off to some boarding school-"

"It's an all boys school. He wouldn't even be distracted by those little tramps that pass for teenagers these days."

"Mom, I don't care that it's a same-sex school. And I don't care that he's dating Fox. I like Fox. She's a nice girl, she _helps_ his school work most of the time. Besides, just because you thought it was less distracting to send _me_ to a same-sex school, doesn't mean it was." She finishes with a nice smirk, knowing her mother doesn't believe in bisexuality and has never supported the fact that Clarke chooses to identify as such.

"The second I knew it wasn't _helping_ you I pulled you out and put you back-"

"In private school. Co-ed though. Still not less distracting I suppose." Abby had her teeth clenched together.

"The boy is different from you," Her way of saying 'he's straight and you're not', "it would most likely benefit him and he could focus on his education. Lord knows you didn't and look where we've ended up." She muttered the last part to herself, but not low enough to hide it.

"If you don't like my life, don't be a part of it. I haven't needed you the past ten years, what makes you think I need you now? I'm doing great on my own, _mother_. I really don't need you trying to mold it into something _you_ find more appropriate."

"I'm trying to help, Clarke. I know you think you don't need my help-"

"I don't."

"But you do! Look where you've ended up without it! Some ridiculous suburb with a subpar boyfriend who has a _child_ -"

"I also have a child..." Clarke pointed out, but it didn't stop the rant.

"and a young boy who needs someone to look after him."

"Because I'm not doing so?"

"Clarke, it was fine for me to raise you, we are both women. That boy needs a man-"

"Christ! You too?!"

Jacob was listening from the top of the stairs.

 _You too? What does that mean?_

"Yes, Clarke, me too. He does. You can be the best mother in the world, but he's a teenage boy, he needs a father, a male role model to look up to. I love you, but not even you can do that."

"Why not? Just why the hell can't I raise _my_ own son, my own _teenage_ son, without help from a man?! I've been doing fine so far!"

"Really? The string of counselors and therapists beg to disagree."

"You looked into his fucking medical records?! Are you fucking kidding me?! That's so wrong I don't even know where to begin!"

"Clarke you need help, it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I don't fucking need help! You do! Go see your own god damn therapist! We're fine when you're not around!"

"Exactly. You're fine. Not good, not great. Admit, you know there's a grain of truth to what I'm saying."

"I-No, I- What- I mean-!" Clarke exhales frustratedly. "Look, I'm aware that a male role model _might_ benefit him, but I'm not going to ship him off because I don't have one for him. I fucking love my son, I'm aware you're foreign to that feeling, but it's pretty hard to let go."

"Clarke-"

"No," The blonde was done yelling, rubbing her hands over her face, "I'm done with this conversation. I don't _want_ your help, mother. At all. Go home, to DC. Go be a big shot doctor. Put your career first, like always. I'm serious. I don't want your help anymore. I'm done. You're going home tomorrow and I don't want to hear from you for at least six months. I'm so livid from this. Do you understand me?"

"Clarke, I just-"

" _Do you_ understand me?" It was more pointed this time.

"Yes."

"Ok. I'm...I'm going to bed."

Jacob rushed to his room, hopeful his mom wouldn't know he heard everything.

She came in a minute later.

"So...you heard everything, I assume?"

He doesn't say anything, but he does nod.

"Are you okay?"

He nods again.

"Cool. Now with actual words and emotions."

Jacob sighs.

"Yeah, ma, I'm good. I promise it's nothing I haven't heard before."

He's still not facing her, so he can't since how she grimaces and how her eyes get wet

"Alright, I'll check in again once gramma is gone tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, mom. Love you."

"Love you too, honey."


	25. Neighborly Disputes

Genre: Family / Friends / Drama /

Rated: T

Word Count: 4,658

Characters: Clarke Griffin / John Murphy / Bellamy Blake / Alex Griffin-Bailey (OFC) / Nick Bailey (OMC) / Jasper Jordan / Nathan Miller / Raven Reyes / Monty Green /

Characters Mentioned: Nikki (OFC) / Carl Emerson / Cage Wallace / Kayla (OFC) / Luke Bailey (OMC) /

Relationships: Clarke/Bellamy (Like the foundation is being built) / Clarke/Nick (Past) / Raven/MC /

Summary: Prompt: Clarke is Murphy's neighbor, all of his friends see him as an emotionless badass of sorts. But of course, it's super fake. So when she comes frantically knocking on his door asking if he can babysit her actual baby daughter because she's been called into work (because I'm obsessed with Stripper! Clarke), it's not like he's going to turn her away. And hey, if he can set her up with Bellamy, bonus points.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot / Hints at domestic violence/abuse / I veered away from the prompt a bit, still hope you like it though!/

A/N: I'm generally annoyed at myself. I've come up with like another four of these "family prompts" and I can't fucking get around to Clarke and Bellamy actually hanging out without it being over 10K. Whatever, I piss myself off. There's a second part already in progress, so...yeah...but school is also coming up so I don't know if I'll get to write a bunch. Sorry in advance. Also...ignore my OC names, I don't know any more about them than you do so we're not gonna question it.

* * *

John Murphy has the general appearance of being a dick. And most of the time he lives up to it. Like now.

He, Miller, Bellamy, and Jasper are all sitting on his couch yelling at his TV. It's just how he is around his friends and strangers.

Unfortunately, it's not how he is around kids. Or Clarke Griffin, his next-door neighbor.

And it's just all kinds of unfortunate when she comes pounding on his door at six o'clock.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." He grumbled, his friends yelling at him when he walked in front of the TV. Opening the door he finds a frazzled looking Clarke with her seven-year-old daughter. "Clarke?"

"Hey! Christ, I hate asking this..."

"You need me to watch the kid." He finishes for her, knowing it still makes her uncomfortable, no matter how many times she's done it.

"I'm sorry, Nick bailed and I really need to get to work- which reminds me, can you zip me?" She turns around, allowing him to zip up her diner uniform.

"It's fine, I'll just...figure something out. Go to work, it's fine."

"You're a lifesaver." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, doing the same to her little girl before running down the hall.

He ushered the kid in, his friends all staring at her.

"This is Alex. Be nice."

"Sup."  
"Hi..."  
"Hey."

His friends are tentative. Alex looks up at Murphy, "I can stay in my own apartment."

"Yeah, no. Your mom would kill me."

The girl huffed, looking awkward.

After they get him settled in front of the TV watching _The Avengers_ , which- Clarke still might not approve but it's a compromise for everyone, the four men gather in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, I have to ask. What the hell?" Miller breaks first.

"What?"

"You're watching a child. Someone trusts you with their small child. Is she new? Is she insane?"

"No, I've been doing it for like three years now. Her dad is a deadbeat, she works three jobs, I help out." He states it so easily, putting some chicken nuggets on a plate for the small girl.

"So, what I'm hearing is, you're a decent person." Jasper tries to clarify, his mouth tugged in a tight line.

"I've always been a decent person." He gets a few scoffs but rolls his eyes in response. "Yes, I am a decent person. Just- You guys don't have to stay, but she'll go pass out in Mbege's old room in a couple hours."

"I'll stay. I don't care, I like kids."

"Of course you do, Bellamy." Murphy rolls his eyes again, taking the plate out to Alex, who's eyes were glued to the TV.

"Thanks." She pauses, chewing on a few nuggets, "Who are you guys?" She looks at John's friends who look away just in time, trying to make it seem like they weren't staring.

"Uh, Murphy's friends." Jasper slowly answers.

"Cool. What's your name?"

"I'm Jasper, that's Miller and Bellamy." Alex looks each of them over.

"I have a friend in my class named Jasper, he's cool. Are you cool?"

"I like to think so."

Alex hums in acknowledgment, "Probably not. You think you are, so you probably aren't."

Miller chokes on his beer trying to stifle a laugh. "She's got you pegged, Jas."

"Shut up, _Miller_."

"Is your name really Miller?" Alex draws attention back to herself.

"Huh?"

"Your name. Is it really Miller?"

"What else would it be?"

The girl shrugs, "I dunno. He goes by Murphy, but that's his last name."

"Oh. Yeah. Miller is my last name."

"So what's your first name?"

"Nathan."

She scans over Miller with a critical eye.

"What? Is there a Nathan in your class too?"

"Yeah."

"He's not cool?" He replies, smirking.

"Everyone hates him." The smirk falls off his face, eyes widening.

"Why do they hate him?"

Alex just shrugs, "He sucks."

"Ok, but how?" Miller is trying to engage in conversation while the other two are just laughing to themselves.

"He pushes girls a lot, calls everybody names, draws on other people's art. Mom says his parents are idiots who don't know how to be parents."

Miller is nodding slowly, "Yeah. I agree with her."

They go back to watching the movie, letting the kid eat her food.

"So, Alex, what happened this time?" Murphy's curious and the girl always has the answer, even when her mom thinks she doesn't know.

"What do you mean?"

"You were supposed to go to your dad's this weekend, right?"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess."

"So what happened?"

She shrugs again, looking down at her hands. "I don't actually know. Mom was yelling at him on the phone a lot, he was probably drunk."

They all stare at her.

She doesn't say anymore but she does yawn.

"You want to go to sleep?" She nods, hopping off the chair and wandering to the door. "Um, I'll be right back."

They leave, going next door so she can change into pajamas. Coming back she doesn't stop, going straight for the spare room and shutting the door.

Murphy sighs, rubbing his hands over his face.

He remembers Nick. He moved in with Clarke when they first came to the building four years ago. They fought and yelled a lot, Alex cried, even more, being a baby. She kicked him out after a few months, throwing divorce papers at him along with the rest of his crap. Murphy was the one to propose that he watch Alex, especially while she was going to court, dealing with the custody issue. It was supervised visits only until the girl was five, then he had her every other weekend. But she was seven now and Nick missed, at least, half of those weekends.

"Alright, I'm going to sound like an asshole here, but. What are you getting out of this? I mean- are you trying to score with her mom or what? Seriously, I've never seen you do this shit." Jasper was talking quietly, probably hoping Alex wouldn't hear him.

"What? No. I'm just helping her out, seriously, Nick's an asshole and that kid deserves better." Bellamy is looking at him with something close to sympathy but also empathy.

They all continued watching the movie, quietly giving input where they felt it was necessary. Until around eleven when sound was knocking on his door again.

He opened it to find Clarke, home three hours early.

"Clarke? What are doing here? I thought-"

"Nope. Got fired. Can I have my daughter back?"

His eyes went wide, but he stepped back to go get the kid, leaving her standing in the doorway. He came back out, walking with the sleepy seven-year-old

"Mom?"

"Hey, baby. Let's go, you can go back to sleep."

"Why are you home?"

"I missed you. Duh." The girl conceded but looked skeptical. They went home and Murphy went back to his chair.

Clarke was actually a pretty close friend. Murphy always tried to help the best he could, but she hadn't needed money before. Then again, she'd always had enough jobs to cover everything, now she was a job short. Which made him worry about how she would pay for food, rent, utilities, etc. It wasn't like she could ask anyone else; Nick didn't pay child support, her mom disowned her for having Alex, she doesn't really have a lot of friends she can rely on.

After his friends left, close to an hour later, he went over to her place. She answered the door in her pajamas, with her hair up and her eyes red. He enveloped her in a hug before a word could be said, she started crying again. After she regained her breath, she pulled him into the hallway so they could talk.

"What happened? I know you said you got fired, but-"

"My boss died." She rested her back against the wall and slid to the ground.

"Oh, shit..."

"Yeah. Dante was super cool, he loved Alex. Let me bring her in when I worked the day shifts, but he died like earlier this week I guess. Anyway, so his son took over. What an asshole. First, he pulled me into his office so he could go over my record and tell me _everything_ I had done wrong; from being late to getting orders wrong. Then said he didn't really have any other choice but to fire me. I mean- I pleaded and even told him all the shit I deal with. Nope. Not a drop of sympathy in that man. He didn't even let me finish my shift!" She was exasperated. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I used that money for groceries. I mean- I have to get another job, like tomorrow, but-"

"I can help you out-"

"Mmnmm," She shook her head vehemently. "No, I'll find something. I just-"

"Jeezus, Clarke. Look, I have a good job, I can help you with your groceries until you find another job."

Murphy decided to talk to Jasper about hiring her at the bar. He was pretty sure he could get her a job there, even if it was part-time.

She still looked at the floor. "Are you sure?"

He slung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, "Of course I am, Clarke. C'mon, we're friends, this is what friends do."

The next day he had Alex while Clarke made up her resume and sent it out to different places. Bellamy decided to join him when they went to the park.

The two men sat on a bench, watching the kid run around the small playground.

"How come we didn't know you did this? I mean it's been, what? Four years, you said?"

Murphy shrugged at his question, "I don't know. I never really had a reason to tell you, it just didn't come up in conversation."

Bellamy nodded. They talked about trivial things for the rest of the hour before making the trek back to his apartment complex. As soon as the three of them got settled on the couch, Jasper texted back saying he'd meet to talk about hiring the blonde.

Murphy went over to knock on Clarke's door to see if she'd be able to watch her while he went to his meeting.

"Uh, hi?" She had changed into her uniform for the hotel.

"I thought you didn't work today?"

"I don't, but Kayla called out and I could use the extra hours. That's not a problem, right?"

"Um...I actually just got called into a meeting." He didn't really want to get her hopes up about anything.

She buried her head in her hands, clearly trying to think of a way to make this work.

"Um, my friend could watch her." Murphy offered tentatively.

"Friend?"

"Uh, yeah. Bellamy. Blake. He's pretty good with kids. More or less raised his sister."

"And you're sure he could watch Alex? I probably won't be back until ten and I don't know how long your meeting will be."

"Just a lunch meeting. He'll be fine."

"I guess if you trust him..." She checked her watch before realizing she didn't really have any other options.

After she left, John called Bellamy out in the hall to let him in on the already arranged plans.

"Seriously? I barely know the kid-"

"You'll be fine, I just have to go meet Jasper for a quick lunch and then I'll be back. All you have to do is not kill her and don't lose her, simple."

"Her mom-"

"Already cleared it with her. C'mon man, I gotta go." Bellamy conceded after a few moments of begging. Murphy let Alex know that they'd be staying in the apartment but Bellamy would be watching her for a couple hours.

"Why?"

"I have a thing I have to do."

"Why can't I just go back to mine?"

"Your mom had to go into work for a little bit."

"Oh..."

He could see the disappointment on the kids face, "But, I mean, Bellamy is pretty fun. You'll barely notice I'm gone."

"Ok..."

As he was leaving he punched his friend in the shoulder, "Don't bore her to death."

 **xxx**

Alex sat back in the recliner, staring at Bellamy while he tried to focus on the TV. Tried being the keyword.

"What?" He looked over to the little girl.

"You look familiar."

"We met last night."

"I'm not stupid. I meant before that."

"Don't know what to tell you, kid."

"Do you know my dad?"

"Probably not. What's his name?"

"Nick."

"Ok, last name?"

"Uh...Bailey, I think. That's my brother's last name, anyway." Bellamy paused.

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah. Dad has a girlfriend. I don't like her."

"Why not?"

"She's super mean and always yelling at me. She gets mad that she has to take care of me because I'm not her kid."

Everything about it sounds familiar to Bellamy, except for the daughter part. He worked with a Nick Bailey back when he did construction. Terrible person; always showed up late, reeked of alcohol, talked about his twenty-year-old girlfriend. But that was two years ago, it can't be the same guy.

"How old is your brother?"

"Two." Or maybe it can be. "His mom doesn't like him either."

"What?"

"She always gets mad when he cries and doesn't really pay him any attention. Neither does dad. He's trying to get mom to take him."

"Your dad is trying to get your mom to take a kid that isn't hers because neither he nor the kid's mom wants him?" He tried to clarify.

Alex nodded, "Mommy told Auntie Raven that Nikki was a slut, that's why she gets mad at Luke. Because she can't be a slut with a baby." She lowered her voice and her head, "Mommy also said that Luke was probably in danger, I don't know what to do about it."

Bellamy's heart softened for the kid. "It's not your responsibility to deal with that, it's your dad's."

"Nuh uh. Dad said Luke was my brother so he was my responsibility." And just like that, his heart melted into a puddle.

 **xxx**

Murphy sat at one of the tables in the back, waiting for Jasper and Monty to finish talking to their distributor.

He had one of Clarke's resumes in the bag he had to take to make it look like he was going to a work meeting. It's not like he was positive she'd get the job, but he was fairly confident.

The came out and sat across from him.

"Alright. Your friend. Why should we hire her?" Murphy pulled out his phone and opened Facebook, picking a picture of Clarke from the beach she'd posted a couple of weeks earlier, he turned the phone to show Jasper. "I'm on board. Monty?"

The smaller boy shook his head in disappointment at his friend. "Does she have any qualifications? Has she worked in a bar before? I get that she's pretty, but-" Murphy yanked out the paper with the tiny print listing all of Clarke's previous jobs. "Alright, she's qualified. Does she actually know about working here?"

John scratched the back of his neck, "Not exactly. I didn't tell her because I didn't want to get her hopes up for you guys to shoot her down."

They both nodded, Jasper more so knowing about her daughter.

"Well, I like her resume-"

"And her look." Jasper jumped in.

Monty glared at his friend, "It's looking good, could she come in for an interview? Just so we can get a feel for her personality and her skill and style. Talk about hours and stuff."

"Uh, yeah. Probably. She might be able to come in tonight, I'd have to check with her of course-"

"Sounds perfect. Just let us know, Murphy. But yeah, I like her odds."

Murphy nodded, trying to contain his smile best he can.

"Will do."

 **xxx**

Clarke walked into the breakroom, heading straight for Raven at the back table. She let out a huff as she sat down.

"Rough shift?"

"I'm ready to cry."

"That bad?" Her friend had a sympathetic smile on her face, rubbing circles in between her shoulder blades.

"I walked in on a naked guy tied to a bed. I thought that only happened in movies and TV shows, not real life." Clarke whined, throwing her head down on the table.

"Yikes, never happened to me."

"Of course not."

Raven didn't really need the housekeeping job; she co-owned a mechanic shop with her boyfriend, but that was mostly his and she wanted to feel like she was making even payments.

"I'm so tired Rae."

"I know hon. Hey! Maybe you can get that John guy to watch the kiddo tonight and you and me can go out."

"No," She moaned, "His friend is already watching her right now and he was supposed to watch her all day. I'm not going to ask him to look after her overnight as well."

"Why not? He loves Alexis. She's a great kid, Clarke. And last I heard, she got along great with him."

The blonde let out a huff of laughter, "Yeah, they do. She always calls him Uncle Murphy when she gets home."

"See? Adorable. Just- think about it, babe. I miss you and you need to relax."

"I relax-"

"Sorry. I mean you need to get laid." Clarke chokes on her laughter.

"Ha. You're funny." She gets up, paying for a bag of chips from the vending machine before returning to her seat. "Did I tell you about Nick trying to get me to take that slut's kid?"

"What? You're joking."

"Nope. He can't watch the kid and she's a fucking stripper who sleeps with her customers, she doesn't _want_ a baby."

"You're not going to do it, right?"

"What? No. I can't. I can barely take care of me and Alex, add Luke to that and I'm gonna get two meals a week."

"Alright. I know you're saying it, but I can practically see the gears in your head trying to figure out how to take care of all three of you."

Clarke paused, throwing a chip in her mouth, "Shut up."

 **xxx**

Murphy was sat on his couch, both Bellamy and Alex were asleep on the floor when he heard the next door over slam. Clarke was home. He walked over to find the door unlocked.

"Clarke?"

" _In here!_ " She called from her bedroom.

He walked in the find her on her knees rummaging through a pile of old clothes.

"Whatchya doin' there?"

She looked up at him, huge purple circles under her eyes.

"Emerson called, found out I got fired, offered me my old position back."

 _Emerson, Emerson, Emerson..._ He tried to remember where he'd heard the name before, but it clicked.

"No."

"No?"

"You're not going back to that club."

"I've gotta find a job and this way I don't even have to go looking."

He groaned. "What if I told you I found a job for you? One that doesn't include you stooping to _Nikki's_ level." She stopped shuffling through the pile and looked at him dead on.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, showing some cleavage might help you with tips but it's not stripping."

"No. What job?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "My friends own a bar, they need a new bartender/waitress."

She looked like she was about to cry when she launched herself into his arms.

"Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."

He let out a small chuckle, embracing her back.

"I don't know why you're thanking me. I did this for purely selfish reasons, I'd get to keep the kid overnight sometimes."

"Oh. Shit. I didn't-"

"Clarke, it's fine. I love her, and I'm pretty sure she likes me well enough."

The blonde gave a watery smile and laugh, "Yeah, you're her uncle Murphy."

Well, that makes some emotions stir inside him.

"I'd love to have her stay over when you work, it's great." He took out a business card, "Here, you go interview. Ask for Jasper and Monty, mention me. You should be fine." He handed her some cash as well, "And please get something to drink, you need a break every once in a while."

 **xxx**

The position works out, of course. She works Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights so Raven and Murphy alternate taking Alex on those nights, staying in their apartment until Clarke gets home. Clarke loves it because while it is a bar, it's one of the nicer ones. She definitely gets groped a lot less than she would at Emerson's club.

She gets along with the whole staff, Monty and Harper especially. She even talks to Bellamy when he pops in, with or without Murphy. Jasper takes every other Friday and Saturday off to spend with his small group.

But, naturally, since the position worked out something needed to go wrong. At least it happens two months later.

Clarke went to work, Alex came over, she and Murphy played Wii until her bedtime, the guys came half an hour before she went to bed, and it all seemed to be going fine.

They're all passed out in his living room, continuing their Friday night plans. Jasper was the one who woke them up.

"Hey. Hey, guys, wake up." He pushed and kicked each of his friends.

"What, Jas? What is so important at..." Bellamy looked over at the cable box, "two-forty-six in the morning."

But they all heard the muffled, angry conversation that was getting less muffled as they grew louder.

" _Because I said so, Nick. I'm fucking done with this bullshit and so is she._ "

" _You don't get to decide that, Clarke. She's my daughter too._ " Murphy rose quickly, heading for the door.

"Yeah? How about you fucking act like it, because I'm tired of seeing her face drop every time I have to tell her you're not coming." John gave her a quick once over, noticing her ruffled clothes and messed up hair, he decided this had already gone bad.

'Call the cops', he mouthed at Jasper before stepping out in the hall. He wasn't entirely sure what he planned to do; Nick was close to six foot five and had a hell of a lot more muscle. But Murphy had Miller and Bellamy, and to a certain extent Jasper, for backup, so he might be okay.

"Everything okay here?" They both look over at him. He can now see a bruise forming on her cheek, he can also see the silent plea in her eye and the anger in his.

"It's none of your business, asshole. Go back inside."

"Yeah, I'm not going to do that. It is my business, Clarke's my friend, I look out for her." He made a small hand movement, motioning for her to come over to his place. But as soon as she tried to move, he stuck his muscular arm out in front of her, blocking her path.

"You're not going anywhere, we aren't finished."

" _You_ aren't finished. I am. Move your arm, jackass."

"I'm not letting you do this, Clarke. You're not allowed to." He's now grabbed her biceps and turned her to face him.

"You should get your hands off her, man." Bellamy decided it was time to step in.

"Who the fuck are you? You don't even live here, you don't know her."

"I know you should let her go."

"Why don't the both of you go back inside and fuck off."

"Let me go, Nick."

"No! You don't get to do this!" He shook her.

"Nick, just let her go-"

"He's drunk, he's not going to listen."

"I'm not drunk! Fuck, Clarke! How many times do I have to apologize?! I'm sorry! You can't take my daughter away from me!"

"I really can, it's pretty basic shit. You got arrested for a DUI, I have the right to take away your custody. All you had to do was not drink." She probably seemed extremely calm to anyone else, but John heard the slight waver in her voice.

"Nick, just back off, man. It doesn't have to get any worse for you."

"Really? Because I'm losing my fucking daughter, if you think it could get worse, you don't know shit."

"Well, you could go to prison. Does that sound better?" He turned his head slightly to see Jasper holding the phone and giving a thumbs up.

The large man stuttered in his movements, thrown off by the mention of prison, but regained his footing when he saw Miller exit the apartment and the three men advance on him. He looked back to Clarke, his grip getting tighter on her arms.

"Where is she, anyway? You just leave her alone?"

"I already fucking told you, she's at my mom's. She offered to babysit after you _bailed_. _Again_." She spat the lie in his face.

He was seconds away from replying when the sirens came, as did the visible relief in Clarke.

"Like I said: prison. Doesn't sound great." Murphy crossed his arms over his chest.

They could all see the man's hesitation, but he let her go once the trio advanced again and pounding footsteps could be heard thundering up the stairs.

Two policemen came up behind him, beginning to ask questions. Nick still gets arrested. One begins to take him down the stairs.

"Mam, where is your daughter?"

"Next door, she should be asleep...?" She looked to Murphy who confirmed that she was still asleep in the guest bedroom.

"Alright. For the safety of you and your child, I do recommend a restraining order and a court order to remove his parental rights-"

"He doesn't have parental rights anymore, it's why we were fighting in the first place." The cop nodded at her, giving her a few more words of advice before bidding them all good night and retreating to his car. Once he was out of sight the group seemed to visibly deflate.

Murphy turned to look in the apartment, seeing Miller open the door slightly to confirm yet again that Alex was still asleep, and in those ten seconds Bellamy had taken residence next to a seated Clarke, wrapping her up in his arms. Murphy went inside and brought her a blanket, kneeling in front of the pair.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, he was just on something. Wouldn't let it go."

"Yeah, but it's okay to not be okay."

"I know, but I'm really okay." Murphy noticed the way she sort of leaned more into Bellamy and decided to ask about it later.

"Alright, just let me know if you want to talk."

"I will, thanks."

"Anytime, Clarke."


	26. Cinderella

Rated: K+

Word Count: 3,227

Summary: Prompt - "Bellamy is roommates with Miller, Wick, and his girlfriend, Clarke. Can you do something with that?"

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot

A/N: Ok, it's not the best chapter, trust me I know, but I had the idea of the dress thing and then I got this prompt, it just sort of worked out. I'm moderately happy with it.  
xxx  
I wrote it at 3 in the morning, like all of my other stories, so I apologize for the typos.  
xxx  
And, again, because I get bored as an insomniac, here's the dress and stuff I picked out: g o o . g l /SrsvgZ

* * *

Bellamy always thought it sounded shitty when he said that his mother's death was the best thing that happened to him, but it was the honest truth.

Before, he and Octavia were living in a shitty two bedroom apartment with paper-thin walls; because while she legally lived with their mother, living with Aurora was not for the faint of heart. It also wasn't for those with anger issues like Octavia's. She was still finishing high school, so it wasn't an easy time for anyone; it just worked better for everyone if she lived with her brother.

But the lawyer dealing with all of her assets told him that his grandfather owned a huge house in the mountains and had passed it on to Aurora who then passed it down to Bellamy.

He wasn't sure why he'd never heard about the house before, or why they'd never visited, but he chose not to dwell on it. He sold her house after he found out that the property in Mount Weather was amazing. So, not only did he have a decent amount of money, he also had an amazing house that didn't cost him a dime.

And if he's being even more honest his life got even better once he moved into the house.

In the city, he was mostly on desk duty at the station, processing so much paperwork his head hurt. In Mount Weather, he's out and about all the time.

Octavia didn't care about moving at all, in fact, she preferred it. Her friends weren't really friends and all the guys at her school were complete douchebags. So moving to a completely new town with completely new people sounded perfect to her. Granted she didn't make a ton of friends and the ones she did make were just by association, seeing as they were Bellamy's friends first. And, again, most of the guys in her grade were douchebags, but once she graduated everything changed.

A month after, she'd told him that she'd been in a serious relationship with an older guy for a while, but that they hadn't done anything while she was underage. He wasn't thrilled, in fact for a week he was livid, but he got over it. Mostly focusing on the fact that the guy was in town and not back in the city. He agreed to meet Lincoln, seeing as she'd been dating him for close to a year and he hadn't even known she was interested in anyone. The dinner had gone fine, but it was still a bit overwhelming to him.

Which is what led him to go to the local bar and get drunk off tequila shots alone. It's not like he knew, at that moment, that the love of his life was sitting next to him sobbing. But it was certainly entertaining to her to watch him try and cheer her up.

The next morning Bellamy had woken up with very little memory of the previous night, but he did remember a crown, blonde hair, and blue eyes filled with tears.

Mount Weather is a relatively small town, so he was amazed it took so long to run into her again. Quite literally.

His partner had been shot by a hunter for "Trespassing" when the two were just going to ask him some questions. So, after following the ambulance to the hospital, he had run in to find out if Sterling was going to be okay, only to run into one of the nurses. After apologizing profusely he looked a bit closer at her.

"Princess?"

That made her look up. And laugh.

"Hey there...you..."

"Me?" He grinning at her hesitance.

"Well, I don't know your name but you were very, very drunk and trying to make me laugh."

"I was?"

"Yes. And it worked so, congratulations." She stood herself up rather quickly and went to walk away.

"Oh wait!" He spoke out, making her turn back, "I was trying to figure out if my partner was okay?"

"Oh! Um..." She ducked behind the front desk and typed a few things in, "Name?"

"Sterling. Harris is his last name, I think."

After a few more seconds she looked back at him. "He's perfectly fine. I mean, he was shot in the lower abdomen, but it didn't hit anything vital."

"And his head? It was bleeding a lot."

She gave a small smile, "Head wounds tend to bleed a lot more. He has a minor concussion but nothing too concerning."

"Okay." He let out a breath of relief that he didn't know he was holding. They talked for a bit longer before she had to go back to work, leaving him in the waiting room to wait for Sterling's wife.

After he got home that night, he told Octavia about it and got a smack on the back of his head.

"Hey! What was that for?!"

"You dumbass! Why didn't you ask her out?!"

"Why would I-" She cut him off with another smack.

"She was obviously flirting with you! Are all guys this dumb or is it just you?"

"It's just him." Miller, Bellamy's friend from the city, spoke up from the couch. He had moved in with the siblings right after Octavia's graduation.

"Shut up, Miller."

"You shut up, she was clearly trying to send you signals, it's not our fault you missed them."

So maybe he is an idiot. No- there is no maybe about it. He's an idiot.

"You're a moron." Miller is telling him two weeks later. "You couldn't think of a way to ask her out so you injured yourself just to come back to the hospital where you have a, probably, less than one-in-ten chance at seeing her again-"

Just as Miller was closing up his rant, she walked in.

"Mr. Blake..." She started without taking her eyes off her clipboard.

"Princess." He challenged. Making her look up, a huge smile beginning to form on her face; which, in turn, caused Miller to curse under his breath.

"It's Clarke, actually." She clears her throat before going through her actual duties as a nurse.

"You were right." He says out of nowhere, making her quirk an eyebrow at him, but he just pointed to the bandage on his forehead. "Head wounds, they do bleed a lot. Even minor ones."

She laughed, "You fell out of your truck and hit your head on a rock. I feel like that's a pretty standard amount of blood."

They both laugh while Miller mutters something about how weird it is that they can flirt about blood before standing up to leave.

"So..." He starts.

"So..." She clears her throat, "um, the doctor should be in shortly. He's just wrapping up with the patient before-"

"Do you want to go out sometime?" He interrupts her, speaking fairly quickly, earning him a shocked look. "My, um, friends think you were flirting with me the last time I was here and that I was an idiot for not asking you out. And it's, uh, totally fine if I- if I was misreading the whole situation, just say so and we can never talk about it again or-"

"Yeah, I'd love to go out." She interrupts him, grinning at his rambling.

He tells Miller and gets a fist bump. He tells Octavia and she tackles him.

Their first date goes fine, she explains that she was crying that night because it was her birthday and she found out that her boyfriend had been cheating on her for their entire relationship. Their second date goes well too, and the third. In fact, all of the dates go well.

The only real problem they have is about money, and that's just him finding out she came from a wealthy family and her proving she's not actually wealthy by showing him the shitty two bedroom apartment she lives in with her two roommates. The roommates sort of make the situation a bit worse, but that's mostly his fault for being the jealous type.

"I'm sorry, you live with two guys?" It makes him drop everything he's doing and look straight at her.

"Yeah, it's not a big deal." She, on the other hand, continues eating her pasta and paying attention to Family Feud. Clarke only looks over when he doesn't say anything. "What?"

"You live with two guys? Two people of the male gender? Two people who have d-"

"Yes and I repeat, it's not a big deal."

"Really? Because-"

"Are you jealous or something?" She goes in meaning to tease him, but when he sits up straighter and stops talking she gets serious. "Wait, seriously?"

"Shut up." He says in a gruff voice, dropping a few octaves lower than his regular speaking voice, before crossing his arms.

It's not like he loves being _that guy_ , it's just who he is. He's just very protective of those he cares about and he's not a huge fan of thinking someone could possibly come in and steal them away.

"Oh my god, you are!" She smiling and laughing. "Aw, Bell, do Monty and Jasper make you jealous?"

"No." It's so clipped and short she knows he's lying.

"Aw!" She puts her bowl on the table next to the couch and crawls into his lap. "Bell..."

His arms remained crossed in front of him.

"Bell!" Clarke draws out the E in his name, turning it into a whine.

"What?"

"There's nothing to be jealous about. Now, it shouldn't matter who I live with no matter what, but- you're kind of adorable so I'll give you some reassurance. Jasper has a girlfriend and Monty is crushing really hard on your roommate."

"Miller?"

"No, the other one." Octavia had moved out a week into their relationship so he knew she was being sarcastic.

And from that moment on, their relationship was perfect.

That's a complete lie, but it's a fun fantasy.

No, they do have a good relationship, but they still fight and argue; they even broke up for a week when Bellamy refused to explain who Echo was and why she was texting him; but they still find their way back to each other.

It's two years later. They live together with Miller and their other roommate, Wick. Octavia is now married to Lincoln with a kid on the way. Miller and Monty have been together for a little under a year. Bellamy is in love with Clarke and she's in love with him. He recently enlisted the help of his best friend and his sister to help him pick out a ring for her. Everything is working out. Kinda.

Bellamy is sitting in the recliner in the living room, playing Grand Theft Auto V with the other two boys when Clarke comes rushing into the house. Everything happens very quickly, he barely has time to notice what's wrong.

First, she slams the door. Next thing he knows she's rounding the corner with her scrubs shirt on the ground, trying to get her pants off. Then she's _running_ up the stairs in her underwear just to slam and loudly lock their bedroom door. All without a single word to anyone.

Kyle is the one to pause the game when he doesn't do it.

"I've only recently started getting good at this whole dating thing, but shouldn't you go check on her?"

Bellamy takes a moment to go over everything that happened. "Nah. She locked the door, she only does that when we're having sex or when she wants to be left alone."

"You sure? She kind of rushed-" Miller is interrupted by the doorbell. "Who-?" He starts, only to be interrupted again, this time by Clarke.

She runs past everyone again, this time in a thin robe. Coming back around the corner with an obviously pregnant Octavia.

"O?"

"Hi, Bell."

"What're you-"

But he doesn't get to ask his question, his sister is already gone. Pushed by his girlfriend. The lock going back into place.

"Yeah, she wants to be left alone. Totally." Miller shakes his head, taking the game off pause.

But now Bellamy is totally off focus, completely confused. His head goes in a thousand different directions, the worst options coming to mind first.

She took her clothes off, fast, and called Octavia over, somehow his mind comes to the questioning conclusion that she was sexually assaulted in some way. But he immediately throws that out knowing she'd tell him. But would she? He knows how much she hates him worrying and telling would definitely worry him, but she wouldn't not tell him.

He tries to rationalize it for so long that Octavia comes back down, slumping down heavily into the chair across from him.

"What's wrong with my girlfriend?" are the first words to pop out of his mouth and he regrets them immediately.

"What?"

"I mean- just- she's okay, right?"

"Yeah? I mean, she's a bit stressy right now but nothing too bad."

"Okay, but why-?"

"Well, hello there Cinderella." He's cut off by Wick pausing the game again and staring at the stairs behind him. He turns around to find Clarke dressed to the nines.

Her hair all up in a bun with a braid over the front of it with some hair falling out but up so her dangly earrings are visible. Her lips a dark red that almost matches her long evening gown, with pointless straps that are on the sides of her arms, he even sees her black shoes stick out when she takes a step down. But she kept on her crown necklace that he gave her for their sixth-month 'anniversary'.

"Did she kill him?" Miller whispers to Octavia.

He could compliment her on so many things, he could probably ask why she's dressed like this, but no. Instead, he says, "I didn't know you owned that dress."

"Nope, he's still just being a moron," Octavia whispers back.

Clarke laughs. "Yeah, I've had it for a couple years." Then looks at Wick, "Cinderella?"

"I was trying to think of blonde princesses and I didn't think Bellamy would appreciate the Aurora joke as much as I would." She gives a small chuckle.

He finally snaps himself back to reality, standing up to give her a kiss, "You look fantastic, babe."

"Thank you." She does a cute little curtsy-type-thing

"You look," He pauses to scan her body, "absolutely amazing, but can I ask why you're all dressed up?"

Most of the color drains from her face.

Octavia speaks up from behind him, "Her mother is visiting the nearby hospitals and they're having a little group fundraiser that requires this amount of effort because- well you've met Abby."

He had, and it didn't go well. Abby completely blew him off, not at all interested in talking to him. Clarke later explained that it was because Abby loved Finn and still had hope the two would get back together, she just assumed Bellamy was a placeholder. Almost two years later and she still resented him, blamed him for Clarke never going back to Finn.

Again, so many reassuring things to say and he goes with, "I don't have to go, right?"

He can hear the collective facepalms behind his back.

But Clarke just laughs, "dear god no. I wouldn't go if I wasn't being forced to by my boss."

Bellamy scrunches up his face and put on a very fake voice, "But it's your mom and you're doing this for a good cause..."

"Yeah, sure." She pats him on the shoulder. "I'll be home in an hour and a half-ish."

"Don't murder your mother, they don't do conjugal visits in this state."

It's a good thing she laughs because he has no idea where he was going with it.

"Love you."

"I love you too." He kisses her one more time before she leaves.

Once the door is shut there's a moment of silence before Octavia speaks up.

"Well, I'm off to eat far too much. Don't forget to propose at some point." Bellamy glares at her.

Octavia rolls her eyes before pushing a hand to her back and getting up with a major struggle. Mumbling something about being "Too pregnant to sit around this kind of idiocy."

It's not like he forgot, he didn't, he just hasn't found the right time to do it.

He's pretty sure two hours later isn't the best time to do it, but it's when it happens so he doesn't have a lot to complain about.

Then again, their engagement starts off with a phone call to explain that "I told my mom we were engaged even though we aren't, please don't get mad."

He isn't mad, confused, but not mad. He tells her as much and asks how it came about at all.

"Well at first she was like 'oh, I see that Bellamy boy isn't here, you two broke up?' and obviously, I said no. Then she went into a whole thing about how we should break up because we've been together for over two years and how she was married to my dad at this point and then it turned into that I wasn't engaged to you because I still wanted to be with Finn so I just told her we were and I just wasn't wearing the ring."

It takes him a moment to process.

"Do you want to?"

"What?"

"Be engaged. Do you want to?"

"Well- I mean- you don't-"

He scratches at the back of his neck, "Clarke the ring has been sitting in my coat pocket for close to three months, I just haven't found the right moment-"

"And you think that moment is right now, over the phone?" He could hear the amusement in her voice.

"Is it ideal? Not really. Have I gone and asked you anyway? You're damn right I did. You know why? I love you and I want to continue loving you and I want to continue showing you that I love you, every day."

She's quiet for a few moments, and he swears he can hear sniffling, but she comes back with an amused voice that's clear. "You're dumb. You're lucky I'm in love with you; I accept your weird over the phone proposal. I still expect like a full speech down on one knee and everything when I get home."

"I'm already writing one out." He's smiling as he hangs up.

So, okay, maybe his mother's death wasn't the best thing to happen to him. But, what it led up to, _that's_ pretty much the best thing he could've asked for.


	27. Dracula Isn't Real

Rated: T

Word Count: 5,881

Summary:  
 **[Original Prompt]** Bellamy is a cop. He and his partner need help solving a supernatural related case, it's fortunate that he has a great informant. It's unfortunate that his informant also happens to be his vampire ex-girlfriend and her vampire roommate.  
 **[Changed]** Clarke and Bellamy are exes, she just also happens to be a vampire and he just happens to be human. The only reason she's still seeing him is because he needs help with cases that seem supernatural. It sucks that they're still in love with each other.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot / there's a bit of violence/blood/gore towards the end / I mean no offense if you _are_ a part of the community I spoke about / I'm still the actual worst at summaries /

A/N: I was just pulling vampire stereotypes from every movie and TV show I've ever watched, so don't try and find a pattern or inspiration for that stuff.

I got tired of doing the long ass header so I've shortened it to this. As always if you think I need to change the rating or disclaimers, let me know.

* * *

Raven hate Bellamy on principle.

He had cheated on her best and oldest friend (pun intended).

xxx

They'd been dating for a half a year before they exchanged '"I love you's".

A year before he introduced her to his mother and sister, seeing as her family was long dead.

Two years and she'd told him what she was and that most of the fairytale creatures he grew up on were real.

" _So...you're...what? A vampire? Like Dracula?_ "

" _Dracula isn't real, Bell._ "

Five years and he cheated on her.

They'd been happy. They'd been in love. They'd been at peace.

It was a shame that Bellamy's ex-girlfriend wasn't over him. It was also a shame that she was a shapeshifter and he didn't know.

She took Clarke's form, got him a bit tipsy, and took him to bed. The entire time with him being none-the-wiser to her devious plan.

Roma knew Clarke was on her way. He could never imagine what went through her head but he guessed it was something along the line of seduction, sex, getting caught, breaking up him and Clarke, and him and Roma getting back together.

She was wrong though. She did seduce him, and he did sleep with her, they did get caught, and he and Clarke did break up, but instead of getting back together with Roma, he served her with a restraining order.

Raven knew what it felt like to be cheated on first hand, seeing as it was how she and Clarke met way back when in the eighteen hundreds. Her husband had found a mistress in Clarke, leaving both girls distraught and wracked with heartbreak. Clarke chose to aid Raven when her thoughts were scrambled. Raven chose to become a vampire in spite of him. Finn had vowed, on their wedding day, that he would love her until the day she died; so she decided to live forever.

Clarke, on the other hand, hadn't experienced cheating first hand, not really.

Back then, in seventeen-fifty-nine in Great Britain, she was known as Elizabeth and her parents had married her off when she was seventeen and she had stayed loyal until she was twenty-three. She provided her husband with a son and a chance at a second child but miscarried.

That was when she met Lexa. She'd been shopping, a bit drunk, and stumbled into the beautiful brunette. It happened so quickly she didn't even know what was going on until the next morning. She woke up in Lexa's bed, bite marks all over her body, dried blood staining her skin, and Lexa saying she needed to go home and pack so they could leave immediately.

" _Pack? Whatever for?_ "

" _We must leave and never return. We must go now._ "

" _My son-!_ "

" _You will never see him again, you simply cannot. You will only receive pain if you stay. We must flee._ "

" _May we flee tomorrow? I want one last night. One last night with my son._ "

Lexa had been hesitant but granted it, if only to see the girl she'd fallen for smile.

They'd fled the next day. Lexa grasping her face and pushing her lips roughly onto the blonde's before proclaiming, " _You will now be my Clarke._ "

Clarke kissed her back as the continued on the run.

It took her decades to notice. They'd always been on the run, moving every few years, always keeping their love a secret, never settling. But she finally realized something on the year she was meant to be forty, especially when she saw that neither she nor the woman she loved had aged a day since their first one together. Lexa told her and everything crumbled.

They spent countless years apart.

Clarke found her again simply because she tired of the loneliness and didn't like watching the people she thought she loved, die. But she didn't love Lexa, not anymore, she couldn't. She couldn't trust her, so she most certainly couldn't love her.

She'd told Bellamy and he thought it was heartbreaking.

"What happened to your son?"

She didn't answer for a while. Long enough to make him worry he crossed a line. But she _did_ answer.

"He died. Fighting in a war."

He'd hugged her close.

She tried to break up with him the next day.

"What are you talking about?" He got angry fairly quick.

"You should have a chance to live a normal life."

"Normal life." He seethed, but she took it as a question.

"Yes. Normal life. Find a nice girl to marry, have kids with, grow old."

"You-"

"We can't have a normal life together. There's nothing normal about me. I have super speed and extreme strength, but I mostly come out at night and get my food source from human blood. There's nothing normal about that."

He takes a moment then huffs. "Fine." It breaks her non-beating heart more than she thought it would, hearing him admit she was right.

"Fine." She sniffs and turns to go.

"No, no. I meant 'Fine. I won't have a normal life, especially if it means I get to be with you'. That kind of fine."

It takes the breath out of her inactive lungs.

"Bellamy..."

"Clarke I'm not arguing anymore. We're still dating, suck it up."

He walked over to the couch and sat down, leaving her with a tiny smile. She shuffled over slowly and curled up next to him.

He had been the first person in centuries to give her hope at love again, and then he broke her.

So it was her protective instinct that bred her hatred for the Blake boy.

xxx

"Give me one reason I shouldn't suck you dry."

It's the first words he's heard from her, a girl who he hasn't seen in years, but he's already disregarding them.

"Where's Clarke?"

"What's it to you?"

"Raven," He heavy sighs, not in the mood, "I don't have time for this, where-"

"Raven." Her smoky voice travels through the apartment.

The dark haired girl grits her teeth before moving the let him in.

The apartment is dark, only dim lights, black-out curtains blocking every source of the outside.

"Bellamy, it's been a while." She muses, somehow ending up behind him.

"A few months." He plays off her observation.

"A few months? Clarke..." Raven begins with a warning tone.

"Raven, why don't you go visit our engineer friend on the first floor?" She grinds her teeth together before leaving, slamming the door on her way out.

"I take it she doesn't approve?"

" _I_ don't approve, but you want to help so I'll help."

He misses the ease that used to come talking with her. How she would have such freeing conversations with him about her life. Now she's closed off, talking to him professionally, cold, and distant.

He hates it.

"What do you want?" Bellamy is snapped back to reality.

"There's been more murders." Her face becomes even more closed off.

"That's imp-"

"Don't say impossible. It's not."

She's not the only vampire in the world, Raven is living- well, unliving- proof of that. But those two are different. Clarke gets both of their meals from a blood bank. Others still feed on the living. And while it can be pleasurable, that's only to a certain point.

"I- She- I don't-" She scrambles for words before sitting down and taking a deep breath, "What happened?"

He pulled out the file. A confidential police file that he is now handing over to his vampire ex-girlfriend so she can determine what supernatural thing has happened to this people; he was right, impossibility isn't real.

She read over it is a flash of movement. Letting out a sigh before sliding it back to him.

"I don't know what to tell you."

"What- What do you mean you don't know?"

She bit her own tongue. She'd been around for a long time, two hundred and fifty-eight years, but this was something she thought had already been solved.

"I mean, I don't know what to tell you. It-"

"C'mon, it has to be Lexa's crew, right?"

"No." And it wasn't. Lexa had died long ago, too long for her crew to be bringing up problems now.

"What do you mean, no? Clarke, you're not giving me very clear answers here and I need answers."

She stood up and had him against the wall before he had the chance to yelp, her singular hand pushing against his sternum.

"I am doing this out of kindness. I don't owe you shit, especially not after what you did. You don't get to come into my sanctuary and demand anything from me. Do you understand?"

He swallowed, angry, but nodded. She let him go, turning, to slowly retreat to her kitchen, her head in her hands. It made him calm down.

He spoke in a soft tone, looking down at the floor, "I'm sorry, Clarke. I'll never stop being sorry."

"Never is an eternity. Don't promise an eternity in a world where life is temporary." It was one of her favorite quotes, and he found such irony in it.

"Well I'll never stop, not until the day I die."

She sighs. "I'll look into it."

He looks up from his feet, "Really?"

"Yes, but don't get too excited, it's probably nothing." She had her doubts.

"Just- Anything would be helpful at this point." At the point where everyone still believed the supernatural was a legend, where anything unexplainable was thrown out.

"Alright. I'll work on it." She took an unnecessary breath, "Now, please leave..."

It hurt every time. It hurt them both.

xxx

After a week she got back to him.

The problem she thought had been solved, had been solved; it was just brought back.

Vampires who kill and drink the blood of other vampires are known as _Rogues_.

Their thirst is never quenched, constantly feeding on whatever blood the can find, turning them into something beyond what is normal for a vampire.

They'll feed on anything or anyone and drain that source. They're not clean and they usually maul the source until it submits.

To say he's disgusted is an understatement.

xxx

He has no idea how to explain anything to his captain. He's thankful when one of the rookies on the case suggests vampires because the captain almost laughs him out of the room.

"No, I mean, obviously not real vampires-" Sterling, the young recruit, continues on, "but there's this whole...'culture' of people who think they are in fact vampires." He pulls up a youtube video, interviewing one of the so-called vampires. Bellamy can already tell they aren't real but it does make the captain stop and think.

"I mean-" Bellamy starts once the video stops, "the kid may be onto something." He's hesitant, not wanting to seem to invested in the idea, but also showing at least a minimal interest.

The captain approves the two to look into the subculture, see if there was anything substantial behind it.

xxx

He decides to let Clarke know about it.

He knocks on the door only to have it swung open by Raven.

"Where's-"

"She's out of town."

"Out of town?" it was unusual for her travel if she was not finding a new place to live.

"Researching more for your stupid little case. I told her to just ignore it." _Of course she did, it's Raven._

"Just have her call me-"

"What are you doing Bellamy?"

He stops, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"It's been two years since you broke up, but you've been seeing her every few months for help on a case. Why are you doing this to her?"

"What are you talking-"

"You're hurting her, you've got to know that. I don't know if you're hurting yourself but you are damaging her."

"I don't-"

"She did everything she could after she told you. She loved you, Blake, so she wasn't going to put you through what she'd gone through. She wasn't going to turn you, no matter what you said." She pauses, "But she did try to fix it."

That shocks him.

He'd asked her after she told him if she'd ever looked for a way to reverse it. But she said she hadn't found a reason.

"She what?" His voice small and meek.

"She tried everything she could after she told you." Raven pauses again, more hesitant this time, almost like there's something she knows she's not supposed to share. "She even killed Lexa."

His knees buckled from underneath him, causing him to crash to the ground.

Raven continued, not even giving him a second thought, "It was her last option, 'kill the one that created you', but it still didn't work."

Why hadn't she told him?

"When did she do it?" The girl hesitated once more. "Raven."

"A month before everything happened."

He wanted to cry.

They'd been together for five years, only three of them spent knowing what she was. Three years of her trying to turn herself back, for him. Even killing her first love, just to have him cheat on her and show it was all for nothing.

She killed her oldest friend just to have a chance at a normal life with Bellamy. He thought he hated himself before, but it was nothing compared to this feeling.

It had been over two years and every time he suspected something supernatural going on, he immediately went to blame the small brunette. He couldn't imagine how much pain that must've caused her. Knowing she killed her friend for someone who wasn't worth it.

"You were at the time." Raven sighed and responded as if she could read the thoughts she was bringing him out of. "And you still are to her, for some reason."

"I- I never- I didn't- I-" He struggled to form his thoughts.

Raven heaved one last heavy sigh, "Yeah, I know."

With that, she shut the door on him.

xxx

He went a bit crazy after that.

He wasn't eating right, barely sleeping, not taking care of himself. It was hard for him to do so when he knew what pain he caused Clarke.

It's unfortunate that she chooses to show up in the middle of the night, also the middle of his Netflix binge.

"What're you watching?" She's standing behind him and he didn't hear her come in, but he doesn't flinch like he used to.

He ignores her question, "Don't I have to invite you in or something?"

"You invited me in seven years ago, not my fault you didn't move. Seriously though, what is this?" She grabs the remote from him before he has a chance to hide it.

"Does it matter?" he realizes she's still standing behind him, so he turns. He regrets it.

She's covered in blood and gashes. Her leg is torn open, barely bleeding due to lack of circulation, but still seeping.

"Jeezus Christ, what happened?" He turns off the TV and pulls her into his bathroom, thankful his roommate is out.

"There was a problem, I handled it." He helped her pull off her jacket and saw the bite marks on her shoulder.

"I'm going to guess you didn't let this happen willingly?" She looks over and sees it for the first time.

"Oh, uh, no. I didn't know he got me."

"He?"

"Them. Any of them." She corrects herself.

"And just how many _them'_ s are we talking about?"

She hesitates, and he knows it's because she doesn't want him to worry.

"Clarke-"

"It doesn't matter."

"Really?! Because I beg to-!"

They're interrupted by a large crash. Clarke immediately shoves him in the tub, "stay here."

"Clarke it's probably just Mill-" he cuts his words short when Miller's body drops in front of the door.

Clarke's shoulders tense, but relax soon after.

"Mother fucker- Murphy!"

She gets a laugh in response.

Bellamy stays in the tub while she zooms out with her super speed, disappearing to the left of the door.

It's silent for a second, but he jumps when a man's body slams in the end of the hallway, right in front of the bathroom door.

"Relax, Taylor. I'm just messing with you."

"It's Griffin now, smartass."

"Ooh, fancy." He looks into the room and sees Bellamy sitting in the bathtub, eyes bugging out. "You getting kinky with your feeder?"

Clarke rolls her eyes but extends her hand to help him up.

"Bellamy meet John Murphy. Murphy, that's Bellamy."

"Nice to meet you."

"I'm sure it is," Murphy smirks. "I'm not seeing bite marks, _Griffin_. Something you wanna tell me?"

It's technically allowed: vampires dating humans. But after a certain amount of time, before they notice said vamp isn't aging, they have to compluse the human into breaking up with them and not remembering anything about actual vampires. It's the law, one Lexa made _sure_ she was aware of.

Clarke rolls her eyes again, "What? You gonna tell the Chancellor? Last time I checked you were fucking a witch, now _that's_ illegal."

Murphy's smirk only grew.

"Touché, madam." He looked back over to Bellamy who was looking at Miller. "Relax, he's fine. Just asleep. Clarke knows that... she can hear his blood pumping."

He grins evilly, walking past her. She could and boy was it tempting, she hadn't eaten in a few days, but Bellamy had never seen that side of her before and she wasn't going to let him see it now.

She gave the body a longing stare before looking back to her ex. He was giving her a strange look, one she didn't recognize.

"Thanks for the wound treatment, I'll see you around."

Before he could respond she was gone and so was her friend, leaving his roommate passed out in the hallway and leaving him sitting in a bathtub.

xxx

Clarke found Murphy on the roof two buildings over.

"Odd time to resurface."

"Odd times are upon us." She nodded, waiting for what he really had to say. "Anya couldn't see you anymore, she got worried."

A small smile graced her face, "Oh, _she_ was worried about me? Anya, the three-hundred-year-old vampire, was _worried_ about me?"

"She's not three-hundred." He says, instead of answering her question. It gives her the answer she was looking for anyhow. "So, feeder boy..."

"He's not my feeder." She closes her face off.

"Don't do that, don't close up like that, I was just asking a question."

"And I told you he's not my feeder."

"Anymore." He filled in the blank, making her look at him.

"He never was." _He was so much more than that..._

Murphy nods, hearing what she didn't want to voice.

"So...what? You're in love with him?"

"No." _Yes. But I shouldn't be._

"Why not?"

"Goddammit, stop reading my thoughts, it's an invasion of privacy!"

"Well you're not telling the truth so it's really your fault!" She heavy sighs at him. He takes a chance to look her over, suddenly noticing the blood and tears in her clothing. "What the fuck happened to you?"

"There was a problem and I dealt with it, it's not a big deal."

"You look like you just took on a pack of werewolves on a full moon."

She scoffs and rolls her eyes, "I'd look a lot better if I had."

He straightens up, "You're kidding, right? I thought the problem had been dealt with!"

"So did I. But some dipshit thought he could bring his girlfriend back, he didn't even know she was a vampire. One taste and he drank her dry."

"Christ..." He swears, wincing when his mouth burns.

Clarke slaps his arm.

"Yeah. But he was fifteen, I don't think he knew how to tell who else was a vampire and who wasn't."

"You can hear their heart pumping or not, it's fairly simple."

"Well, it's not a problem anymore." She closes herself off even more than before and straightens up.

Murphy's not the most emotional guy, but even he feels bad that she had to kill a kid.

"How many were there?"

"Too many, I missed a couple."

"Want some help finding them?"

She ponders for a minute before jumping off the seven-story building and landing on the sidewalk with less than a thud, "Sure."

xxx

Bellamy had never put much thought into Clarke's feeding habits pre-blood banks. But after seeing the way she looked longingly at Miller...

He didn't really _want_ to believe that she'd killed anyone, but he knows that's just dumb.

When they were dating he was fine with being her main food source, it was pleasurable even, but after they broke up he didn't even stop to wonder what she'd do for food.

She told him a couple months after, when she helped him with the first case since their break up, that while it wasn't as good, the blood from the blood bank would suffice her for now.

She'd once explained it like she was a drug addict, with her fix constantly right in front of her, trying to stay sober.

Once he got Miller situated in his bed, he decided he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon and wanted to something more than sitting around his apartment.

Going out to a bar is a logical choice. Sorta.

When you don't know where your vampire ex-girlfriend is because she went off with her other vampire friend, you tend to want to forget that that is your reality.

It's pretty boring though. He's twenty-eight so he's pretty done with the whole 'college scene', but not quite old enough that he should only be drinking scotch in the seclusion of his home.

Either way, he gets bored fast.

Walking home...it's quiet, probably too quiet. But his mind doesn't dwell on it.

Well, not anymore anyways.

 _Now_ he's on his back in an alley having his blood drained from him. He tries to push the thing off of him, but it tackled him out of nowhere, so he got the wind knocked out of him. He tries to move again but the thing sucking his blood digs their nails into his shoulders and drags them down, cutting open his chest as if he were nothing more than tissue paper.

"Hey!" Bellamy hears the vague sounds of a female voice in the background, but it's hard to tell. His ears are ringing, his lungs are trying to double their efforts, and his mouth tastes...metallic?

He opens his eyes, his vision blurring around the edges. He sees that the thing that attacked him is a very small Asian woman, it bruises his ego more than he wants it to, and she has her wrist against his lips.

" _Hey_! Get off him!" Bellamy hears the voice again, it's familiar but he can't quite place it.

The Asain woman turns to literally hiss at the voice, but in doing so she lifts her wrist from Bellamy's mouth. He can see that she must've torn the skin off; an entire section is missing, leaving her muscles and bone out for display, and it has bite marks around the edges.

His mind finally connects a few pieces.

 _Oh, she must be one of the rogue vampires Clarke told me about. Oh...the metallic taste in my mouth...it's...blood?_

He doesn't get any more time to process before he hears a loud shot ring through the air, the woman flies off of him

"Bellamy? _Bellamy_! Bellamy, can you hear me?"

He's not sure when he closed his eyes again, but he has to put in an exceptional amount of effort to open them.

Her face won't focus, his eye-sight is too blurry, but he knows who it is. He would recognize her blonde curls from miles away.

"Cl...arke?"

"Hey," She lets out a watery laugh and begins to pet his head, "you're not looking so good, hotshot."

"I thought not. How...how bad...how-"

"It's...I...I just..."

"Clarke." A masculine voice interrupts the two, "We need to move soon, someone is going to call in the shot."

"Ok, I just-"

Bellamy interrupts her with a body shaking cough, blood spewing from his mouth.

"She gave you her blood..." Clarke sounds like she's in awe, but Bellamy can't really focus on her anymore. His entire body has gone cold, he begins shivering.

"Bellamy- Hey, Bell. I need you to look at me, put _all_ your energy into looking at me. Can you do that?"

" _Clarke_ -" _Murphy, that's who she was with. He keeps interrupting, such a rude guy. Maybe he'll keep Clarke company once I'm gone, she'll need someone more than Raven. Not that Raven isn't great or anything, she's just_ -

"Go if you need to, I'll meet you back at my place."

He hears a whoosh.

"Bell, look at me."

His mouth tastes metallic again.

Bellamy forces his eyes open again, putting the remainder of his energy into focusing in on Clarke. He sees she has cut open her wrist and put in back in his mouth, just like the small woman from before.

" _Quark_ -" He starts, he mouth muffled by her arm.

"Shut up and swallow."

He does as he's told. It burns and hurts every inch of his body to do so, but he does it.

"Okay, Bell, look at me. Right in the eyes." She grabs his head and moves it to make sure he sees her.

He struggles to stay awake, her words are fading in and out.

He tries so hard to focus on her.

"-I can see you fading so I'm going to sum it all up. Ready? I forgive you. And I love you so much. Remember that. For eternity." Bellamy feels a quick crack and then nothing. Blackness.

xxx

Bellamy wakes up, throwing himself into a sitting position, taking in huge breaths of air.

He was dead. He was so sure he was dead. And yet...here he is. Sitting up in an...ambulance?

He looks around and determines it is an ambulance. He's just very unsure of what he's doing _in_ the ambulance.

His hand goes to his chest, trying to feel his heart. Then he remembers, the woman and her nails; she cut through him like he was nothing.

He looks down and sees nothing. His chest is fine. Not a scratch on him.

 _Was it a dream_ _?_

He doesn't have time to wonder because the back doors are opening and he's face to face with a possessed-looking EMT worker.

"Um..." The EMT says nothing. He opens the back doors and goes to sit on the curb, saying and doing nothing else. Weird is an understatement.

He slides out of the vehicle and finds himself in front of Clarke's apartment building. He's suddenly filled with rage and confusion. He begins to speed walk up the stairs, but within a blink of an eye, he finds himself in front of her door. Her door on the eighth floor of her building that has no elevator. The confusion is giving him a migraine at this point.

Bellamy bursts in the door only to be overwhelmed by an intoxicating smell.

"Blake?" He looks over to find a confused looking Raven sitting with her laptop.

"Wh- Where's Clarke? I need- I- I don't-Ugh!" He groans, "What the hell smells so good in the place?"

She quirks an eyebrow at him, not bothering to respond, just pointing at the bathroom. He finally registers the shower running.

He groans again, "I'm waiting in her room."

Once he's in the room he gives the door a slight shove but ends up slamming it shut. _What is happening?!_

The room smells like Clarke. He's almost overwhelmed, but in a better way than before.

Clarke comes in five minutes later, fully dressed, with a towel turban on, carrying a travel mug.

"Hey..."

"Hey." He can't stop staring at the mug, it smells delicious. Not as intoxicating as before, but almost.

"Do you want it?" She notices him staring.

"Can I?" But he's already grabbing it and chugging it down. "Ah! That was so good! What was it?"

She's giving him a weird look

"What?"

xxx

Clarke's watching blood drip down his chin. She really wants to lick it off of him.

"What?" He asks.

"Huh?" He brings her back to reality.

"What? Do I have something in my teeth?" He goes to pick his teeth, flashing off his new canines. Pointier than ever.

"Uh, yeah. You might want to sit..." He quirks his brow but sits on her bed anyway. "H- How do you feel?"

"Fine? Clarke what-"

"No. How do you feel? Like, really think about it."

They sit in silence for a minute before he answers that he's fine again.

"Clarke, what's going on?"

She sighs. "Open the mug."

"What?"

"Open. The. Mug. Look at what's inside."

xxx

He does as he's told.

He's first hit with the lovely aroma before he actually looks at it. Bellamy drops the cup immediately.

"That- That's- That- Oh god..." he almost wants to puke, but not before he gets more of it into his system. _No, this is wrong! That's a per_ \- "Wait. Is that..."

"Cow."

He lets out a small sigh of relief before realizations start hitting him. Memories.

"So it wasn't a dream..." Clarke shook her head, no. "And now I'm...like you?" She nods.

For a second, every thought he's ever had threatens to overwhelm his brain, but then he focuses on the memory of right before he...died.

"Did you...forgive me?" He wants to make sure he wasn't hallucinating in all of his blood-loss.

"Yeah..." She speaks quietly.

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" She lets out a choked laugh, "I forgive you, most people just take that and run with it."

"Yeah, well, most people aren't magical creatures either, so humor me."

She rolls her eyes. "Look, I forgave you a while ago, can we just-"

"Ok, but _why_?"

She sighs, "I'm not saying I understand, and it still fucking hurt, but...I don't really blame you." That takes him by surprise and she can obviously tell. "She's a shape-shifter. She looked and sounded exactly like me. How the fuck were you supposed to know that she wasn't?"

Her words come with a bit of a sharper tone, a bit more defensive.

She huffs and crosses her arms.

"So...I have to drink blood now..." He decides to change the subject.

She rolls her eyes, "I guess. I mean, you can always kill yourself and die, like you were supposed to tonight, but it's really not that bad."

They talk more about what his life is going to be like now that he's an immortal bloodsucker, but he already knew a lot of it.

"You have to go before the council at some point, declare some stuff."

"Declare?"

"Oh, um, abilities?" She never told him about that. "Everyone's a little different, but a lot are the same. Both Murphy and Raven can read minds. My old friend Anya can see the future. Lexa could fly-"

"What about you?"

She seemed uncomfortable, "I'm an empath. I can make people feel what I want them to feel."

"What do you mean?"

"Look around. Ok? You know your safe, right? Even if this is the most secure location you got a chick with super strength to defend you, so you feel safe, right?"

He nods.

"Ok. Sorry."

"Why-" Bellamy's breath is taken out of his lungs. An immense panic is flooding through him. He's torn between running out of the room and curling in on himself. " _Clarke_!" and it feels like a snap of her fingers and everything is back to normal. "What the fuck-!"

"Sorry."

"It- I- It's fine." He wasn't bitter. He asked...

He was a little bitter.

"Why didn't you tell me you could do that?" She shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"I didn't want you to think anything we had was fake."

He'd like to be offended but the more he thinks about it, the more plausible it sounds.

"It wasn't," She assured him, "I never would've done that to you, I love..d you." She hesitated on the word love, making him panic at his own hope.

"Loved? Or love."

"I don't see a difference." She did, she just didn't want to admit anything.

"Past or present tense."

She's quiet.

 _Present, dumbass..._

"Hey!"

She gives him a weird look.

"What?"

"You didn't need to call me a dumbass!"

"I didn't..." She trails off. "Mind reading."

"Huh?" Now he was confused.

"I didn't say anything, you read my mind." She rubbed her arms, looking uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"You can't control it, it's fine."

She tells him how she'll set him up with Murphy so he can get a handle on it. How it's common for most people to not be able to control their abilities.

"Wait, backtrack, you said- _thought_ present, as in...you still love me...?" He thought back.

She seemed uncomfortable again.

"Yeah, maybe. So what?" She retreated in on herself and became defensive.

"Nothing, just..." He trailed off, leaving her to give an annoyed huff.

"Just what?"

"We'll probably be spending a lot more time together, I'm going to need help...controlling myself." He meant it in more ways than one. He spoke low, moving slowly towards her.

Clarke's breathing got quicker and heavier as he got closer. He was right in front of her before she steeled herself and turned away.

"I'm not saying forever, but I still need time. Can you deal with that?"

A small smile crossed his face as he back up.

"Sure, Princess. We've got plenty of time."


	28. Abstinence Makes A Heart Grow Frustrated

Rated: T

Word Count: 4,543

Summary: Clarke has decided, why should she stay in a sexless relationship for years only to end up married to a guy with no experience resulting in probably boring sex when she could have the smooth-talking, sexy, freckled bartender?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot /

A/N: Alright, I have too many things to say.

1\. If anything is in _italics and underlined_ it's in a different language.  
2\. I do not speak another language beyond English, all my translations are through google translate.  
3\. возможно means Perhaps.  
4\. Русская моба means Russian mob.  
5\. Leave my super white Russian nail salon alone, I'm not racist, this is just a thing that's near my house that I think is funny.  
6\. I feel like I attack Sterling too much, I miss his character.  
7\. In case you didn't know, the title is a play on the classic "Absence makes the heart grow fonder".  
8\. I'm aware of how quick everything in this is, just... let me live my hopeless romantic dream.  
9\. I am not attacking any religion or anyone's choices, this is just my personal shit, so sorry if you are offended.  
10\. Also, I'm not doing a second part for this one, therefore there not much more explanation going on, which brings me to 11...  
11\. Bellamy's second job is just a really well-known author, but he uses a pseudonym  
12\. I feel like I had more to say, but I've lost it...ok, you may proceed to read the story.

* * *

Sterling was- is a great guy. He's still a great guy, just maybe not the one she's looking for right now.

She thought it had been going so well.

Her roommate, Monroe, had set them up. They got along. Had plenty in common. Their dates went well. He was a good kisser. She wasn't too worried when he said he wanted to go slow.

In hindsight, she probably should've thought about it more before three months had passed, but it went by so quickly she didn't even have the time.

Clarke wasn't worried, per se. Well, not really.

She's certainly no prude, but she's not a stranger to taking things slowly as well. So she wasn't _too_ worried.

It'd been around two months when she started to become a bit more concerned. But instead of outright asking, she decided to just push a bit farther each time. They had gotten up to making out with some heavy petting, at close to the three-month mark, but that was as far as he let it get.

It wasn't pissing her off exactly, she was still fine with going slow. But it had been awhile since she'd gotten laid, it'd been awhile _before_ she even got together with Sterling. So it wasn't pissing her off, she was just _frustrated_...

"Hey, I don't think you ever told me how you and Sterling met." She brings it up one night when the two girls are drinking and watching bad rom-coms.

"Oh, uh, funny enough, Chruch camp."

That made Clarke's eyes bulge a little.

"Church camp?" Her question was filled with hesitation and confusion.

"Yeah, my uh, dad was worried about me." Zoe scratched the back of her neck, "He thought I was losing my beliefs and living a sinful lifestyle and wanted to help."

"So he figured out you were a lesbian and sent you to pray the gay away?" Clarke summed up, somewhat annoyed.

"Pretty much." The redhead let out a small laugh, clicking open her phone to look at her lock screen; a picture of her and her girlfriend of over a year.

Clarke, herself, was an atheist, but she'd grown up in a Christian household. She understood what it was like to not have a parent support her sexuality.

"So Sterling, he..."

"He's one of the good ones! Totally, one hundred percent supportive."

Clarke chuckles, she already knew that. She makes sure that people know, on the first date, that she's bi because if they can't deal with it she can't deal with them.

"Yeah, no, I meant is he-," She gets cut off again by her phone vibrating.

A selfie of her and the man in question pop up on her screen.

Zoe gives her a little smirk, Clarke rolls her eyes and answers it.

" _Hey, Clarke, You busy?_ "

"Not really, why? What's up?"

" _I was just wondering if we could go grab something to eat, there are a few things I want to talk about._ "

It left her cautious and curious, "Bad things?"

He laughed a little, " _Not really, no._ "

 _Reassuring_ , she thought sarcastically, "Uh, yeah, sure. Where at?"

He gave her the name and texted her directions after she hung up.

"Sorry, Zo. I'm bailing on you."

"What?! No! I just found one of the cheesiest ones!" She'd pulled up a playlist of Nicholas Sparks movies.

"Next time, promise."

"Fine, traitor."

Dinner was fine, they didn't talk about anything out of the ordinary so Clarke figured he was saving it for after.

And she was right.

"Do you want to come up for a bit?" He offered when they got to his building.

"Sure."

He poured her a glass of wine before sitting across from her, distancing himself.

"So..."

"So..." They sat in quiet for a minute. "Monroe said you guys met at church camp," He looks at her, "Didn't know you were religious."

He heaves a sigh, "Yeah. That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about."

 _This is it_ , she thinks, _this is the 'I support your sexuality, I just can't be with you because of it' speech_.

"I, uh- Look, I like you..." _But you, as a person, defy my religion._ She internally rolls her eyes

He clears his throat, "Sorry, there's just no easy way to say this. Never is."

"It's fine, I get it you-"

"I'm a virgin." That catches her off guard, leaving her to make a choked/strangled sound in the back of her throat. "And I plan to remain that way," She doesn't dare to breathe, "until marriage."

 _Whoomp, there it is!_ Her mind is being deprived of oxygen at this point.

She doesn't say anything for a solid two minutes, she's not sure she blinks either. She might've just died since she wasn't confident she's still breathing. But he waves a hand in front of her face, bringing her back to reality.

"Oh...K..." She starts off regular, dipping down and bringing her voice back up into a question at the end.

He lets out an awkward chuckle, "Sorry, I know it's a lot to handle. Like I said, it's never easy telling women."

She doesn't know what to say. She likes Sterling, but it's only been a few months, she's not sure she wants to marry him.

"Anyway..." He starts again, breaking the awkward silence she's created, "I'm not holding you to anything, obviously. I like you, but it's really up to you. I know..." He prattles on about her choice, she mostly tunes out.

She's not quite sure how or when she went outside, but she finds herself sitting behind the steering wheel of her car staring off into space. She wants to scream.

Her first reaction is to go home and drink a lot, but Monroe is still home so that's not an option. Her second is to call Monty or Raven and go get plastered, but they're both working late. Her third is to just drive to the closest bar and drink alone.

She's been to Walden before, and it's kind of a dive but the good kind.

The booze is good and the atmosphere isn't too "college frat guy looking for females to prey on".

She sits at the bar and orders a few shots, slamming them down before ordering a vodka cranberry to nurse. She's not the most alcohol-driven of her friends, she can drink most of them under the table in fact, but tonight she just didn't want to be conscious.

By her third drink, the bartender was asking for her keys.

"What?"

"Keys. You can't drive."

"Ah, I'm fine." He leveled her with a glare so she relented and handed the ring over.

"Bad break up?" He questioned.

It was a fair assumption, she'd been drinking a lot and alone all evening.

"Huh? Oh, no."

"You want to talk about it?" She quirked an eyebrow. "I'm a bartender, people like talking about their problems."

She gives it a minute but ultimately decides she has nothing better to do.

She goes into detail about how great Sterling is and how great her relationship is with him. She also states how it's probably one of the best ones she's had in years. She then goes on about how that fact was what led her to believe something horrendous would lead to its end.

"Well, how did you know?" She gives him a look of confusion, "How'd you know that something bad would happen?"

"Oh. Well, my relationships have never been...steady? Like, either they're always rocky and last for a long time or they're perfect for a few months and then I find out he slept with my roommate."

One of his brows go up, "You make it sound like that roommate thing happened more than once."

She takes a long sip before heaving out a sigh, "I mean...she was cutting me a _great_ deal on rent..."

He let out a long, hardy laugh before telling her to proceed.

She was sat at that bar, talking for what must have been over an hour before it hit her. Why should she stay in a sexless relationship for years only to end up married to a guy with no experience resulting in probably boring sex when she could have the smooth-talking, sexy, freckled bartender?

"It's just that- I mean-! There are things I want to do with my life!" He gave her a look, so she specified, "sexual things," making his eyebrows fly into his hairline.

"Well," he coughed, "that's just, ahem, _quite_ unfortunate."

She gave him a small smirk before shaking her head and taking another sip.

Clarke was outside taking a smoke break when her phone rang again.

Raven this time.

"Wassup?"

" _Wassup? Really? Monroe just called, said you haven't been home for hours. She called Sterling too, he said you left like three hours ago._ "

Three hours? Wow, that was impressive, even for her.

"Yeah, I just got some news. Sidenote, minor hypothetical, if you had just found out you were in a sexless relationship with a guy until y'all's possible marriage then found a really sexy bartender, would you break up with the guy and hook up with the bartender?"

There's a pregnant pause.

" _That feels very specific for a hypothetical_."

"It may or may not be."

" _So he's_ that _kind of Christian?_ "

"Yeah," Clarke heaved a sigh. "I mean, there's wrong with it, obviously, I just-"

" _Couldn't last that long without sex. Yeah, I get it. I couldn't either_."

The blonde sighs again, "Why do I feel so terrible?"

" _Maybe it has something to do with that fact that you've been drinking for three hours?_ " Raven tries, but they both know it's not that. " _Fine. Yes._ "

"What?"

" _The answer to your 'hypothetical that isn't a hypothetical'. Yes, I would break up with the guy. You don't see a future and if he was looking to be set up he's probably looking for one._ "

"And the bartender?" Clarke asks with a slightly hopeful unturn at the end.

Raven sighs, " _Yes._ I _would probably sleep with the bartender. Depends on how hot he is, but y'know. Doesn't mean you have to or that you should, but that's my take on it._ "

But Clarke's been silently pumping her fist from the word yes, she didn't care at this point of her night.

The two talk until the blonde's cigarette has been burned to the filter then she walks back in the bar. From the door she sees him behind the bar, flirting with other female patrons and it hits her again. She can't do that. Not to him, not to Sterling, not to herself.

She sends a quick text to Monroe asking to pick her up and waits for the 'on the way' text back, before heading up to the bar again.

"Hey," he says, smiling, when she reclaims her seat, "I was beginning to think you ran out on me there."

She gives a small smile back, "Nope, just a phone call. My roommate is coming to pick me up."

He looks slightly bummed for a second before schooling his face back into a smirk, "Hopefully not the one who slept with the past boyfriends."

She laughs, he makes her laugh. He makes her feel warm all around.

"No, new one. She's actually the one who set me up with Sterling in the first place."

He nods a little like he's waiting for her to go on. She studies his face for a moment before settling.

"You tell me something about yourself."

"What?" His smile falters for a second, but not because he's offended, just because he's caught off guard.

"Tell me about yourself. I've been talking about myself for hours now, I don't even know your name."

His smile turns into a full-blown smirk as he leans his forearms on the counter and gets closer to her, "Too be fair, I don't know your name either so..."

She smirks back, "Clarke."

"Bellamy."

They talk about him until Zoe slides up next to her. She learns enough to know she doesn't regret her decision; she likes him.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She tells him as she's leaving.

He gives her a strange look but doesn't question it. Plays it off, assuming it's just more drunk talk from the blonde chick. But she knows he watches her walk out of the bar in stiletto heels; there's nothing drunk about her.

The next morning she meets up with Sterling for breakfast at the diner that just around the corner from her apartment.

They break up, but it's good, they decide they can still be friends.

He drops her off at work on his way to his job.

The day goes by as usual, beyond getting a ride home from one of her coworkers.

Monroe's not mad or surprised about their break-up.

She _is_ surprised when Clarke asks if she wants to go out for drinks that night.

"Drinks?" The blonde nods, already getting ready. "Um, yeah sure. Where?"

She hesitates, "Walden."

Monroe stops and straightens out her spine. "Walden." there's a long silence. "This have anything to do with the bartender from last night?"

"I mean- I left my car there, so if I could just-" Zoe breaks out laughing through her rushed explanation.

"Relax, Clarke. I don't care, I told you that. Yeah, Walden works."

She doesn't get too dressed up, it's still a dive bar. But she does put on a fresh face of makeup and re-up her deodorant and perfume.

When they get there it's after ten, and it happens to be fairly crowded. But she supposes that's what happens when going to a bar on a Friday night.

She doesn't spot him right away, but after getting Monroe and Raven seated in a booth, she makes her way up to the bar. He's not there for their first few rounds, and after the third, she's guessing he's not working.

It's a little after midnight when Clarke orders their drinks from a brunette girl with intricate braids along the side of her head. She's pretty but looks way too much like a girl from her high school for Clarke to really be interested.

Now, she does give her order to the girl, Roma was what she said her name was, but Bellamy was the one to deliver them.

"Hey, you're back." He gives her an easy smile.

"Yeah, well I realized this morning on my way out that I had left both my car and my keys with you." She gives him the right information but keeps a smile on her face too.

His drops a little.

"Oh, shit-!"

"That's promising."

"No, no, it's just- I left them back at my place."

Clarke's not an idiot, she's pretty damn sure he _did_ just leave them at his place, but if it was a line...damn what a line. She's kind of impressed, in a weird way.

"Oh, um, I could...come back tomorrow?" She speaks, unsure of herself. Coming to a bar three nights in a row, even if one of them is just to pick up her car, isn't the coolest look.

He hesitates, "Or...you could come over. Grab them. After my shift." He also seems unsure.

They're both in a state of not really knowing where to go or what to say.

Raven clears her throat, "Yes, she'd love to do that, wouldn't you Clarke?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, totally." Clarke stumbles over her words.

"Cool. I get off in an hour, sound good?"

"In more ways than one" Clarke heard Raven mumble, making Zoe laugh.

"Yeah, I'll be here."

"Cool." He walked away and Clarke slapped her friends.

"You guys suck."

"I mean, so do you, but I'm pretty sure that's what he's hoping for so..." Clarke punches Raven in the arm extra hard.

The waiting is pretty boring. She has to stop drinking, just in case this goes the way she wants it to, she wouldn't want to have to stop because she's too drunk. But eventually his shift ends and she's ditching her friends.

"So, you have some... interesting friends..." It makes her laugh.

"Yeah, they kind of suck but I love them," Clarke explains how she met the two, taking up the time it takes to walk to his- rather nice- apartment building.

"Sorry, it's not much, but..." He says when he opens the door.

She stays quiet because- fuck if she's not impressed. His apartment is bigger than hers and as far as she knows, he lives alone.

"Do you have a second job? Or a roommate?" She asks, looking around.

"Uh, yeah. Second job. Why?"

"No reason." She keeps looking at his stuff, amazed.

"It's really not much," He sounds shy when he says it, and she finds it adorable.

"You're joking, right?" She almost pushed up against the glass of his giant window, loving the view.

"What?" He sounds genuinely confused, turning back to look at him she finds that he is.

"You realize this is a nice place, right? Like- really fucking expensive." She goes back to staring out the window, wishing she could sketch it.

"Yeah, I'm aware, I'm the one who pays the rent." He laughs.

"Well, you're getting your money's worth." She's still just reeling from the whole thing.

"It's really not that impressive."

She turns to him and narrows her eyes. "Bellamy, I live in a shoebox of an apartment; it's a two-bedroom in a shitty neighborhood. Now _that_ is not much, _this_ is fucking amazing."

He seems shocked by her admission.

"Really?"

"Yes, you are well aware of how great your place is."

"No, I mean- why is your place so small?"

She laughs, "What do you mean why? I'm a nail tech most days and I work at a bookstore on my days off."

He still looks completely confused.

"Granted, my salon job pays more than usual, seeing as it's in one of the richest, whitest neighborhoods in this state and run by like the Russian mob. But it's still not great."

"Huh."

"What?"

"Nothing, you're just...not what I expected."

She chuckles, "What were you expecting?"

"Honestly? A spoiled, rich, white girl with too high standards."

Clarke lets out a long laugh.

"Oh, god. No. Wrong person. I mean- was I raised by a rich white family who expected me to be a doctor and marry our family friend? Yes-"

"See? I was close."

"But that plan kind of got thrown off track."

"How so?"

"Mum got thrown in jail and all of her assets were frozen, including my college tuition." His eyes bulge. "Turns out insider trading is illegal, who would've thought?"

He lets out a steady laugh.

"Yeah, crazy."

"Anyway, I have some money from a trust fund my dad left me, but most of that went to student loans and car payments."

"Yeah, that's kind of where I got the assumption." She drives a nice car, it's easy for people to get the wrong assumption. She tells him as much. Right before she kisses him that is.

He responds eagerly, pushing her against the wall. But he breaks away far too soon.

"Wait, did you say you work for the Russian mob?"

She smirks, " _возможно._ "

She doesn't wait for him to respond, pulling him back in, pressing her lips against his and letting him drag her down the hall.

Waking up in a bed that's probably big enough for more than two people is slightly mind-boggling. But- it's nice.

Noticing that she's going to be late for work, not as nice. She looks to the other side of the bed and finds it empty, but she also finds her keys on his bedside table.

She rushes to get dressed, not really concerning herself with where Bellamy went. Niylah and Harper can only cover for her for so long before Nia gets upset.

She's putting her hair up as she walks out and find's Bellamy sitting at his kitchen island, typing on his computer.

He notices her and smiles, then notices she's dressed and drops his smile, "What's-"

She kisses him to stop him.

"I had a great time last night, seriously." She keeps talking as she backs toward the door, "I'd be interested in seeing you again. I left my cell number on a napkin by your bed, text me if you want but I'm going to be late for work and as I said last night, _Русская моба_ , and they're not fun to piss off so...text me!" She shuts the door and rushes down the stairs.

She has to haul ass back to get back to Walden, get her car, and drive _way_ over the speed limit to make it to work only five minutes late.

"Clarke." Unfortunately, Roan is still waiting for her when she gets there.

Niylah gives her a sympathetic smile when she passes the other blonde.

"You're late."

"I can ex-"

"And you're wearing the same clothes as yesterday."

She blushes slightly.

"Like I said, I can-"

"No explanation needed, just don't let whatever happened effect you getting to work on time again, got it?" He smirks at her before throwing an extra smock at her.

That's just one of the reasons she likes Roan better than his mom, he's much more forgiving than she is.

She takes up her station in between Harper and Niylah. The two girls now smirking at her. Diana, a middle-aged woman in a pastel polo shirt, takes up the seat in front of her before the girls start speaking to her in Russian.

" _So I see you're still in the same clothes as last night ,_" Harper smirks at her.

" _And I see you're still not minding your own business._ "

" _Of course not, you made us cover for you. You think we're staying out of it? You're out of your mind._ " Niylah gives her a devious smile. All three girls giggle.

" _Ladies, I hope you're not disrespecting our customers._ " Roan raises his voice at them.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Sydney, I hope I wasn't being too disrespectful." Clarke looks up at her customer.

"Not at all, darling." The older woman goes on to gossip about her friend's affair with their personal trainer and how scandalous it is. "What about you, honey?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you got anyone... _spicy_ in your life?" She leans forward on her emphasis. The question makes the women next to her lean in, as well as Clarke's coworkers.

Clarke just sighs and smiles, "Unfortunately, no."

"That's such a shame, darling. A young girl like you? With a body like that? When I was your age, looking like that, I would run around town..." Diana goes into detail about all the outrageous things she did when she was younger, but Clarke doesn't really listen. She's far too busy wondering what Bellamy is doing. Thinking about last night, perhaps? That's what she was doing her entire drive over here.

The three women get up, still talking about Diana's younger life, and go over to the hand washing station, leaving the girls to talk.

" _Ok, cut the crap, you totally hooked up last night._ "

" _Yeah, and?_ "

The other two gasp at her.

" _What do you mean 'yeah and?' That's huge! you haven't gotten laid since Lexa!_ "

" _Yeah, I'm aware Harper, I didn't need you to tell me._ "

" _What Harper means to say is that we're glad things worked out with Sterling._ " Clarke winces, making both of her friend's take notice.

" _What?_ "

" _It might not have been Sterling..._ " Before she can explain further, the customers come back and take their seats.

" _We're not done talking about this ,_" Niylah speaks in a tone that leaves no room for argument.

After the day is done and Clarke is about to turn her phone on again her friends corner her.

"Alright, start talking." She explains everything to them. By the end they have opinions.

"He sounds dreamy," Harper croons.

"He _sounds_ like a player," Niylah crosses her arms and looks at Clarke with a critical eye.

Clarke looks annoyed.

"Look, I just don't want you getting hurt again. Sorry if that makes me a bad friend." Niylah defends herself when both girls look at her with upset expressions.

Clarke softens a bit.

"I appreciate that, but I can handle myself." She turns towards her car and turns her phone on.

Sitting down in the driver's seat she sees seventeen new messages and hopes at least two are from him.

* * *

 ** _10:42 AM_  
** **Monroe  
** _Hey, so...  
I'm going to assume since you didn't come home...  
That you are getting laid  
Therefore I am proud.  
See you after work._

* * *

 ** _1:27 PM_  
** **Raven  
** _Zoe just texted._  
 _I'm proud._  
 _Congrats._  
 _He was hot, totally worth it._

* * *

 ** _8:56 AM_  
** **Unknown Number  
** _Um, hey?_  
 _This is Bellamy, btw_  
 _In case you hadn't guessed that already_

 ** _10:17 AM_  
** **Unknown Number  
** _Sorry about the double text, or quadruple text...now...ig..._  
 _Quintuple. It sucks you couldn't stick around this morning_

 ** _2:22 PM_  
** **Unkown Number**  
 _Anyway, I wanted to know if you were available after work_  
 _I am aware you're at work right now and probably can't answer, so I'll just wait until you're off_  
 _Octuple. I apologize._

* * *

She saves him in her phone and texts him back to let him know she's free after she takes a shower and changes. He calls pretty quickly after that.

"Hey."

" _Hey._ " They sit in silence for a minute or so before he speaks again, " _So after that shower would you be interested in going out to dinner? With me?_ "

It's pretty adorable that he's all awkward about asking her out when she remembers the confidence from the first time she met him.

"That sounds really nice, honestly."

" _Yeah?_ "

"Yeah."

He tells her that he'll find a place and text her when he's going to pick her up.

Clarke would be lying to herself if she said she hadn't been this excited for a date in, probably, years.

She could already tell this was going to be something great.


	29. Another High School Story

Rated: K

Word Count: 2,300

Summary: Clarke's mad that her boyfriend is being evasive. Bellamy just wants to surprise her, it's not his fault that his surprise gets delayed.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot / I know _nothing_ about college so, whoops if I got it wrong /

A/N: Ok, I'm honestly not really happy with this story but I had the one scene stuck in my head and when I wrote that out it was only like 500 words so I threw in some angst and it got weird. I apologize.

* * *

It's not like she actually _wanted_ him to leave, he just had to.

She didn't even realize they had fallen asleep. It's lucky, really, that she's such a terrible sleeper.

He'd snuck in last night, so she didn't see any reason to take her sleep medication. So when she woke up at three in the morning to a warm body pressed against her back, it was definitely a pleasant surprise. At the time.

Now, however, she was panicking.

Clarke shoved his arm off from around her waist and stood up. It's only then that she realizes they're not wearing anything. They really just passed out, jeezus.

She grabs his shirt off the floor, putting it on before she starts shoving him.

"Bell." He groans. "Bellamy, wake up." He rolls onto his other side, facing away from her. She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, trying to come up with an idea. One hits her, but she knows it's mean.

She opens her window, earning her a moan of "it's too cold, Princess."

 _It's about to get a lot colder you big baby_

She reaches her hand out the window and grabs a handful of snow off the roof, walking over to her bed, she drops it directly onto his naked back. It gets him to shoot up, yelling. She slaps a hand over his mouth, which he swats off.

"What the fuck-"

"Shut up!" She hisses at him, pointing at her door. "You need to get dressed and go!"

"Go?! Princess, you see outside, right? You are aware you just dumped _snow_ on my back, right?! It's freezing!"

"It's also three am." She deadpans, knowing he needs to get home.

"Wait really?" He looks at her clock, "Well, fuck."

"Yes, so you need to go."

"I can't get home in this!"

"Well-" She hears someone start to walk down the hall.

She slaps a hand over his mouth and pushes him backwards into her closet, shutting the door right before her bedroom door opens.

"Clarke?" Marcus asks, rubbing his eye. "What are you doing up?"

"I...had to pee."

"Oh." He seems to accept this, almost. "Were you talking to someone?"

"Does it look like I was talking to someone?" She counters, knowing he's tired.

"No?" he seems confused but shuts the door and leaves.

Clarke sighs, relieved, and opens her closet, pulling her boyfriend out.

"Clarke, c'mon." She grabs his pants off the ground and throws them at him, looking for his underwear. "Princess…"

She finds them under the bed.

"Get dressed, Bell. You-"

"I still can't go anywhere!" He hisses at her, pulling on his boxers.

"I don't care what you do, but you can't be _here_ when my mom gets up."

"Why can't I just hide in the closet again?"

"Because-!" She turns around to berate him, but notices he still shirtless and takes a moment to appreciate that.

"Princess," She looks up to find him smirking and shakes her head. She will not let him win.

"Where's your shirt?" She turns away from him, looking around.

He comes up behind her, putting his hands on her waist and kissing her neck.

"You're wearing it," He mutters between kisses, "and it looks much better on you."

She fails to hold back a moan but then groans and pulls away from him.

"Ok, I think your jersey is in my closet. I wore it last week and stole it."

"You stole my jersey?" He's giving her an amused look.

"Shut up, I sleep in it."

"Mm," Bellamy pulls her in for a deep kiss. She wraps her arms around his neck, then an idea hits her.

She pulls away before exclaiming, "Miller!" in an excited voice.

The tall boy narrows his eyes, "I need to up my game if you're thinking of my best friend when I'm kissing you."

She laughs and pushes him back, grabbing her phone.

"No, you dumbass, he lives like two houses over and never sleeps."

She calls him and, as expected, he picks up on the second ring.

" _Griffin. You_ are _aware it's three-thirty, right?_ "

"Yeah, care to take in a stray?"

She hears Bellamy protest with a faint "Hey!"

" _Depends on who…_ "

"My whiny ass boyfriend?"

"Ok, C'mon!" He throws up his hands before crossing his arms.

Miller just laughs, " _Yeah, he's acceptable. He can come in through the back door._ "

"Thank you, Nate. You're the best!"

" _Yeah, I know._ "

She giggles before hanging up.

"Ok, you can just go in through the back. It's unlocked."

"Maybe I just don't want to leave, you ever think of that?"

She sighs, throwing her head back.

"Yes, I did. Then I remembered that _I_ like you better alive."

"Your mom wouldn't kill me, she likes me. She thinks I'm a good influence," He smirks.

"Yeah, she also thinks I'm a heterosexual virgin, so…"

He tries to keep a straight face and mostly fails, letting the corners of his mouth turn up every few seconds before he just gives up and lets out a deep, but quiet laugh.

"So she's clearly wrong, on all accounts."

"Absolutely."

He gives her one last, long kiss.

"I'll see you in a couple hours, yeah?"

"Yes, now go. I want to get some more sleep." She's pushing him towards her window.

"Love you too, babe."

"Oh shut up," She gives him one more kiss before shoving him out onto the roof and shutting the window.

xxx

Clarke shows up to first-period sleep deprived since she couldn't get back to sleep after Bellamy left. But, seeing as he's the best, he sets down a giant coffee in front her.

"I've told you I love you, right?" She asks before taking a giant gulp.

He just laughs at her, "Yeah, but I still love hearing it."

"Good, I'm glad."

He gives her a kiss on the forehead before taking off to his own class.

"You two are like- absolute goals, you know that right?" A freshman who sits next to her asks.

"I think we're pretty great, yeah."

"All my friends are hella jealous of you two." She'd like the say it's news to her but they're in high school, girls comment on her relationship status all the time, albeit with more of a bitter tone than this girl. "My sister too, but that's mostly because she thinks he's cute."

"Oh yeah? Me too."

"Omg, totally. Like, not in an 'I want to steal your man' kind of way, but like he's top notch."

Clarke spends the rest of the period listening to the younger girl tell her how hot her boyfriend is. She wants to be mad or even jealous, but she knows Bellamy loves her and it's kind of adorable listening to this girl.

She takes the seat next to him in their next class and immediately leans on him.

"Still tired?"

"Not really, my brain is kind of in overdrive though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I just spent the past hour listening to what an amazing guy you are and how hot you are, also how we are 'total and absolute couple goals'." She lets out an exasperated laugh, "freshmen are kind of hilarious."

"I bet," He doesn't even take pride in what the girl said. She pulls her head off his shoulder to look up at him.

"You good?"

He gives her a weird look, "Yeah, of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"I told you someone thought you were 'top notch' and you weren't like 'well duh, that's 'cause I am'." She lowers her voice to mock him.

He lets out a small chuckle, but it doesn't really put her at ease. It makes her even more anxious in fact.

As the day went on she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

She didn't get to talk to him after second-period, he was either busy in class or she just couldn't find him.

He wasn't at school the next day either.

* * *

 _ **Today Tuesday 11/14**_

 _ **9:38 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Hey, what's up? Where are you?_

 _ **9:38 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
Hey  
_ _Sorry, O got sick last night, I had to stay home to take care of her  
Get me Bio notes?_

* * *

It's one of the most vague answers she's gotten since they started dating.

* * *

 _ **9:39 AM**_ **  
Bellamy** _  
I'll msg you later, okay?  
Going to the clinic rn  
_

 _ **9:39 AM**_ **  
Clarke** _  
Yeah  
_ _I got the notes  
Want me to bring 'em by later?_

* * *

He doesn't reply so she assumes he's at the clinic, but it doesn't stop her from worrying.

He doesn't reply back for the rest of the day. She still doesn't go by, just in case he doesn't actually want her to drop off the notes.

The rest of the week goes by with the same amount of energy. He'll be vague or too casual, he won't have time to hang out after school, it feels like how they were before they started going out. When he was too busy trying to act cool in front of his friends to actually pay any attention to her.

It makes her angrier with each day that passes.

Then he pulls a ballsy move on Friday. He sneaks in her window late in the afternoon.

She's grabbing clothes from her closet when he wraps his arms around his waist, kissing her neck as he does so.

"Hey, baby."

"Hi," She answers in a short, clipped tone, pushing his arms off and walking back over to her bed. She put the articles in her duffle.

"You goin' somewhere?" He sounds genuinely confused, which makes her even more pissed.

"Yeah. Get out."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I said, get out. I have to leave in like twenty minutes."

"Where are you going?" He sits on the bed, next to her bag, like he doesn't intend to leave anytime soon.

"My dad's place; Thanksgiving. I'll be back on Saturday."

"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving so soon?" He sounds hurt and it makes her want to punch something.

"I tried to."

"When?" His voice takes an indignant tone and she wants to throw him out the window.

"When you were busy, you know, ignoring me." She zips up her bag and storms out of her room.

He's following her down the stairs and out to her car, but _she's_ ignoring _him_ now.

"I wasn't- Clarke, I can explain that- I just-"

"I don't really care, Bell. I have to go, you call me when you have your shit figured out because I'm not really into one-sided relationships."

She drives away, leaving him standing in her driveway.

xxx

The next week is the worst.

Her dad's is fine. His new girlfriend joins them for dinner and she's...fine, Clarke doesn't have anything against her she just thinks her dad can do better. But she's not going to put those thoughts into words, she's just mad that she doesn't get any calls while she's away.

Well- she does get a call, but it's from her mother and Marcus to wish her a happy Thanksgiving. But she doesn't get a call or even a text from the person she wanted.

Coming back on Saturday all she wants to do is curl into a ball on her bed and go to sleep. However, she finds her boyfriend seated on her porch steps so her plans fly right out the window.

He stands up when she puts her car in park but doesn't move any closer to the car.

"You figure your shit out?" The blonde asks as she grabs her bag from the backseat, walking past him and into the house. He follows her up to her room.

"I never had any shit to figure out, Clarke-"

"So you were ignoring me for fun, even better."

"I wasn't ignoring you. Are you going to let me explain or are you going to keep interrupting?" She stays quiet, letting him proceed.

"I had an interview with UCLA a while ago and..." She zones out a bit. Clarke knows how hard it was for him when she got accepted. He was upset because he had to stay and take care of his sister while his girlfriend went off to another state. He never told her he was even applying. "Anyway, I was supposed to hear back on Monday, when I didn't I was a little...out of it. That's why I stayed home on Tuesday. But I figured I had to get over so I came back on Wednesday, I guess I was still out of it and I just didn't realize it. Sorry about that. They called on Friday and told me I got accepted. So I came over to tell you-"

"But I ran off..."

"I'm not mad or anything- I mean, ok I was mad at the time, but the more I thought about it the more I see that you were pretty reasonable in your reaction."

"I'm sorry." She hugs him, burying her face in his chest.

"You're all good," He chuckles, hugging her tight. "But hey, now we get to go to school together next year too!"

"Yeah, together." She smiled, pulling him in even more,


	30. Crush

Rated: K+

Word Count: 1,827

Summary: Crushes suck, everyone knows that, especially ones that don't work out. Bellamy's crush doesn't only not work out, but his crush just up and disappears. It's complete luck that his sister finds her over 10 years later.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot /

A/N: Look, I'm not a big fan of this one, but I feel the need to post and I found this already finished fic hidden on my hard drive so here y'all go.

Also, Bellamy is in the fifth grade in 2003 and if you think they were asking about divorced parents during mother/father's day back then, I will personally tell you that you are mistaken.

Side note: If I made another drabble work with darker content, would y'all read it?

* * *

Clarke's always been Bellamy's favorite part of moving to Arkadia.

Aurora had just given birth to Octavia when she decided that their neighborhood was too dangerous for a baby. They moved around for years before settling down when Bellamy was eleven. He wants to say that it was terrible but Bellamy knew that none of their placings were permanent, so he didn't assume this one was either.

He started fifth-grade pretty content with not having any friends and not planning on making any. After a month though, nothing had changed in their living situation and Bellamy decided it would be fine to befriend at least one person. He decided to try for the girl who sat next to him.

"Hi, I'm Bellamy," He started with an introduction and held out his small hand.

She looked up from her drawing, giving him a confused look, "I know. I've been sitting next to you since the beginning of the year." She slightly softens at his confused look. The small blonde shifted her body towards his and stuck _her_ hand out, "I'm Clarke Griffin, it's nice to meet you, Bellamy.

It was the beginning of a great friendship. They did everything together; classwork, recess, lunch, they even ride the bus together and start to play together after school once they figure out they only live a block away from each other.

He doesn't start to form a crush on her until a Tuesday in May.

"Alright kids, today we're going to start our project for mother's day. Doesn't that sound like fun?" Most of the children cheer.

It's not until he starts walking home that Clarke hands him something.

"It's for your mom, can you give it to her for me?"

"Why-"

"Please? For me?"

When he gets home, the three of them sit in the living room.

Octavia gives Aurora a large sheet of paper that she made in her kindergarten class. It's full of drawings and messages that say "Happy mother's day" and "I love you".

Bellamy hands her two of the cards they made in class.

"Why are there two, Bell?"

"Clarke wanted you to have that one."

She reads them both and hugs Bellamy tightly before walking into the kitchen and picking up the landline. Bellamy walks over and grabs Clarke's card, reading it.

' _Happy Mother's Day!  
Thank you for  
being the mother  
I wish I had_❤️'

It makes him feel a lot of things, but the one that sticks out the most is confusion. He'd met Clarke's dad when he went over, but he just assumed her mom was at work whenever he was over.

"We're going over to the Griffin's for dinner," his mother yelled from the kitchen.

His mother joins Jake in the kitchen once they get there, leaving the children to play in the living room. Octavia starts playing with Clarke's old Barbies so Bellamy pulls her aside.

"Hey, where's your mom?"

She gives him a weird look before shrugging, "Um, I don't know. Some other state. I haven't seen her since I was seven."

"Why?"

"My parents got divorced and my mom left right after."

He understands, his dad left when he was five with no reason and he hasn't seen the guy since.

Bellamy gives Jake a card on father's day, earning him a kiss on the cheek from Clarke.

The sixth grade goes about the same. It's seventh that things begin to change.

They both start to make more friends, but Bellamy more so than Clarke. He tries to get her to hang out with his new group, but she always resists.

The two start hanging out less and less until they just stop. They'll still talk in the classes they have together and nod to each other in the hallway, but they're not really friends anymore.

Regardless, Bellamy still has a crush on her in the beginning of their freshmen year. It's the second semester that brings them together again.

They share a biology class and get partnered up for their final. It's easy to remember how simple she is to be around, how much he liked being around her. But she still never joins him for lunch, she still doesn't come over after school, and she still doesn't seem like she's interested in being around him any more than necessary.

As the end of the school year approaches, he decided he'd ask her out as soon as their final is turned in. Only, the day after, she doesn't show up. Or next day. Or the week after that. She doesn't show up for the rest of school.

He didn't see Jake around for the first few weeks. But after that, whenever Bellamy saw him, the man looked exhausted and wrecked, so he decided not to bug the guy.

Years go by, over ten to be exact, Bellamy's feelings slowly recede and his life continues on. Well, until Octavia calls him on the way to their weekly coffee-catch-up.

"Hey, O, I'm almost there-"

"Cool, so here's a totally random question for you. Do you happen to remember that girl from...high school? I don't know, the one you were in love with since you were like ten. Anyway, what was her name? Something Clark?"

Bellamy sighed, "Clarke Griffin?"

"Ah, ok. Just checking. I uh- thought I found her on facebook or something."

"Ok?"

"Yup," She pauses for a minute before saying, "K bye."

He's very confused, but it makes more sense when he gets there. Before he sits down, Octavia makes him go up to the counter and order drinks for them both. Once he looks over the menu and looks at the girl behind the register he realizes she's actually really cute. But she also looks a little familiar.

Her red hair and blue eyes stand out, but it doesn't really hit him until she looks up and says, "Your total is seventeen-fifty.

Then he sees the freckle above her lip.

"Clarke?" His voice almost cracks.

Bellamy was almost certain he'd never see her again, not after she disappeared.

"Yes?" She meets his eyes and raises an eyebrow, obviously not recognizing him.

"Uh, hi. Sorry, I guess you don't recognize me," Her expression goes from curious to confused. "Bellamy. Blake."

Her eyes expand and her jaw drops, "Oh shit."

Bellamy laughs, "Always the reaction I look for."

She shakes her head, "No, I just mean- I was pretty sure I'd never see you again."

He's not really sure why it makes him angry, but it flares up something inside him that he didn't know was there.

"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you just up and vanish on everyone." He snaps at her.

"I-"

"Clara! Back to work!" a middle-aged man yelled at her from across the cafe.

"Are you sticking around?" She asked, taking his card and swiping it.

"Yeah, for a bit."

"I have a break in an hour," She suggests.

"Yeah, I'll be here."

He walked over to the table and set down his sister's drink.

"How'd you even know that was her?"

"She looked familiar," Octavia shrugged, sipping her tea casually.

Bellamy squints at her, "You haven't seen her since you were...what, nine?"

"Eight, but it's not important."

Bellamy shook his head and laughed. They spent the next hour catching up. Most of the time is taken up by Octavia telling him about her classes, but she also spends a decent amount of time warning him to not get too attached to Clarke.

Clarke awkwardly walked over when her break started, which cued Octavia to stand up and leave them alone to talk.

"I'll talk to you later, yeah?" Octavia kissed his cheek before leaving.

Clarke sat down across from him and pushed a new drink in front of him. For a minute or two, they sit in awkward silence, but then Bellamy can't take it anymore.

"Alright, I'll just say it, what happened? Where'd you go?"

Clarke sighs and sets her drink down, tapping her fingernails on the top of her cup before rubbing a hand across her face.

"Alright, so, you know- _knew_ my dad, he's...great," He nods in agreement. He hadn't talked to Jake in a while, but it's not like he just stopped existing in Bellamy's life because Clarke left, they just never talked about her. "Abby disagrees."

"Abby?"

"My mother," She sighs heavily. "She started campaigning for mayor and decided being a divorcee with an abandoned child wasn't the way to win. So she started fighting for _sole custody_. Like- not even joint, just stealing me away after disappearing for the past seven years of my life, who-" She takes a deep breath, "Sorry, I-"

"Don't apologize, it's shitty." He starts feeling sorry for her instead of his initial angry outburst.

"Anyway, she won by saying my dad was an alcoholic and was basically unfit to care for a child, which is still bullshit coming from the woman who abandoned me. And...I guess she wasn't entirely wrong, he drank...a lot. But he wasn't unfit by any means."

"So, she just...shipped you off overnight?"

"Pretty much. I came home, found a truck in my driveway, people taking all of my stuff, and my mother standing in the living room on the phone with her campaign manager."

"Jesus..." He sighs, taking a long sip of his coffee.

"Claire! Register!" The man yelled at her again.

Clarke let out a small laugh, her red hair falling in her face.

"I've worked here for two years and he still can't remember my name."

Bellamy looked at her while she started gathering her things. He suddenly started feeling as awkward as he did all those years ago.

"Birthday."

She looked up at him, "Huh?"

He mentally slapped himself.

"Uh, my twenty-fifth birthday. It's on Friday."

"Oh! Well, uh, happy early birthday."

He laughs, awkwardly, "Thanks, but-"

"Clarrisa!" Clarke rolls her eyes at her boss and starts backing up towards the counter.

"My friend is throwing me a party, kind of. Anyway, you could come- you know, only if you want to..."

She smiles at him, "Yeah, sounds fun." She wrote her number down on a napkin and gave it to him, "Text me. Now Clarissa has to get back to work before she gets fired."

"Alright, Clara, I'll talk to you later, okay?"

She laughs, "Sounds good."

Bellamy walks out of the shop with a big smile on his face and certainly more excited about Friday than he was before.


	31. Mistakes Were Made

Rated: T

Word Count: 2,575

Summary: Clarke and Bellamy broke up, now she's with Finn. And it's great, he's the poster child for a good boyfriend. Except they're fighting because he insists she's not over Bellamy, but she is...right?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot / Drug and Alcohol Consumption/Use / Cheating /

A/N: Aaaaaand as always, I can't write endings.

Fuck, I've been gone for a fat minute, haven't I? Sorry about that. I decided being a drop out probably wasn't the best idea so I started school again and if I'm being honest I've just had a bunch of writer's block. I wrote like three other stories that are...fine? I don't really like them, but let me know if you want me to post more often and I'll find a way to make them readable.

Also, I've started a Tumblr. At the moment it only has stuff for Riverdale, but if you'd be interested in that...check it out. (Link in my bio)

* * *

Bellamy would like to say that it's not a big deal. That his sister didn't like her so it wouldn't have worked out in the long run anyway. That they were doomed from the start. That it was _her_ fault. But he'd be lying.

It is a big deal. He didn't particularly care that Octavia didn't like her, they would've moved past it. They could've lasted. It was entirely his fault.

They broke up six months ago, but that doesn't really matter to him. He loved her. Still loves her.

That's why he's sitting in a bar, glaring at her. No- not her, her new boyfriend. He's got his arm wrapped around her shoulder while he laughs at something his friend says.

She hasn't noticed his glaring yet, but she will, Bellamy knows it. She's always been able to feel when his eyes were focused on her.

xxx

Clarke is sitting next to Finn, pulled into his side while he laughs at his friend's sexist joke. She gets the vague feeling in the back of her head that she's being watched. Turning around she finds him seated at the bar, staring.

All the color drains from her face and she quickly turns back to Finn's awful friends.

She hasn't seen Bellamy in months. She hoped she'd never see him again.

 _That's a lie. You'd hoped he'd get his shit together and come running back to you_ , she corrects herself. But he didn't.

No, she hoped for a good four months that he'd come running back to her. That he'd want to fix what they had, make it better. Instead, she found Finn.

Finn's...great. He's great, really. He's almost the perfect boyfriend. Almost.

He hasn't quite got what it takes to make her feel like Bellamy made her feel. He doesn't throw her up against walls and fuck her like there's no tomorrow. He doesn't go down on her until she's shaking. He doesn't like anything too crazy. He's a pretty vanilla kind of guy. And while she knows sex isn't everything in a relationship, it's enough after two months to make her question the whole thing.

"Hey, blondie, can you go get us another round?" Finn's other friend spoke.

"Sure," She rolled her eyes.

Finn kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear, "We'll leave soon, I promise."

He did warn her that these guys were douchebags.

" _They're guys from my frat, they're assholes, you really don't have to come_ ," were his exact words.

She approaches the bar, her spine stiffening the closer she gets. He approaches after she's ordered the drinks.

"Didn't think you were a cocktail waitress, Princess."

She hates the way her breath stutters at him calling her that again.

"And I didn't think you'd break my heart, but here we are," She snaps, not looking at him.

"Clarke..."

"No. I haven't seen you in six months you don't get to do this, not here, not now."

He's quiet. He stays next to her, but he's quiet. Until the bartender gives her the bottles.

"I was going to say I'm sorry."

"Fuck you, Bellamy!" She yells, gathering a great deal of attention, leaving the beers on the counter and walking out of the bar.

He watches the guy she was tucked under run after her. Knowing she put the beers on his friend's tab, Bellamy takes all three and walks out of the bar.

xxx

She's prepared the next time she encounters him. She's going to Raven's for Thanksgiving. And since Raven is the one who set her up with Finn, Finn is coming too.

Raven never stopped being friends with the Blakes because of Clarke, she just got mad at them for a while and put some distance between them and herself. Regardless they were still her friends and they were even closer friends with Murphy, her roommate, so of course, they were invited to the gathering as well.

Clarke is sitting on the counter, casually sipping some wine while she watches her boyfriend verbally spar with Murphy on his views about the military.

"Don't look too excited," Raven teases her. "What's your issue?"

"I have to spend Thanksgiving with my boyfriend of less than three months, my ex-boyfriend of a year and a half, his sister who hates me, and Murphy."

"You're right, that would put anyone in a bad mood." Raven nods, pouring Clarke a glass of something stronger.

The blonde is good and tipsy by the time Bellamy shows up.

"No baby Blake?" Miller questions.

"She's going to be late." His eyes land on Clarke and his back goes rigid. Either he didn't know she'd be here or he didn't expect her to show up, Clarke doesn't know. Doesn't particularly care either.

Miller thankfully saves her, starting up a conversation about Jackson. She'll always be grateful for Miller, while she knows he's more Bellamy's friend than hers, he has yet to treat her any different now that they've broken up.

Everyone continues to mill around, waiting for Octavia so they can start their meal.

Clarke's been cut off, seeing as how she's currently verbally torturing Monty on the fire escape.

xxx

"Clarke if it's really bothering you, tell him." Bellamy stops, hearing Monty through the open window.

"And what exactly am I supposed to tell him?"

He hears fabric shift and imagines Monty shrugging his shoulders, "I don't know, that sex is boring? I'm like the last person you should talk to about this, do you want me to get Raven?" Bellamy feels bad at stifling a laugh. _Poor Monty_.

"No, she's the one who set me up with Finn. If I say anything she'll go on about how I'm not over Bellamy or something stupid like that."

"I mean..."

"Don't." She cuts him off.

Bellamy feels bad for listening in this long, he walks into view of the window.

"Hey, Monty, Raven needs your assistance with some tech thing."

The boy looks worried at leaving his drunk friend alone, but most likely decides he's had enough of her drunken rambling and goes off toward the living room.

Bellamy sits on the sill.

"What do you want, Blake?"

"You ever gonna forgive me?"

"Doubtful."

"You don't have to fully forgive me, just..."

"Just what, Bellamy?" She snaps, angry he's talking to her.

"Just, I'd like for you to be able to be in the same room with me without needing to be drunk."

She stays quiet, so he takes that as his cue to leave.

"I'll get there," She says when he turns to leave, "eventually."

xxx

The two start spending more time together. Never alone, always in group settings, but Clarke doesn't need to be a borderline alcoholic to be around him anymore.

It's right before her four-month mark with Finn that things go to shit.

Octavia was expressing her dislike for Clarke again when Finn overheard that she and Bellamy used to date. Clarke never told Finn about Bellamy because, if she was being honest, she didn't expect to be with him this long. She doesn't tell him that, of course, she just tells him she didn't think it was a big deal. And things go back to normal, then he finds out how long they dated and they start fighting again.

She's hiding at Raven's, knowing Finn won't come back here just to avoid Murphy.

Clarke is in the process of getting stoned on the couch when Bellamy walks in holding a six-pack.

"Murphy! Reyes!"

"Not here," He startles at the sound of her voice.

"Oh, do you know where they went? Wait, why are you here if they aren't?"

"Murphy and Emori got drunk and decided to go to Atlantic City yesterday and Raven is on a date."

"Okay..." He hedges, looking for one more answer.

"Finn and I are fighting, don't want him finding me."

"So you came to Ravens?" He and Raven are almost sibling level close, looking past the fact that they are exes.

"He won't come over anymore, the need to avoid Murphy is too great."

Bellamy nods his head, "I can see that."

There's a moment of silence before she speaks again, slower this time, the drug finally taking effect.

"You can sit, I'm not going to bite."

He laughs, "Yeah, I don't think you could right now."

He takes the pipe out of her hand and takes a hit.

"So what are you and Finn fighting about?"

Admittedly it's weird asking your ex what they are fighting about with their current partner, but her drugged mind doesn't really want to process that.

She simply states, "You", making him choke on the smoke.

"Me? What about me?"

She shrugs, taking the pipe back, "I never told him we dated, he freaked out. Didn't tell how long we dated either, freaked out even more."

"So..."

"So I ran out of his apartment came over here and stole Murphy's stash because Finn thinks weed ruins your body, drinking too, and red meat, and-" She waves her hands in the air motioning something that only she understands. "The list is too long."

"I'm confused."

"I'm bored in my relationship and it's causing problems but I'm not breaking up with him."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to be alone again."

Apparently high Clarke is honest Clarke.

"Clarke..."

"Don't. Don't say anything."

"Clarke, I'm sorry."

"Why weren't you sorry before?!" She stands up and wobbles a bit, but holds her ground. "I waited, Bellamy! I waited for four fucking months, but nothing. Were you not sorry then?!"

"Of course I was, but-"

"But what?!"

"But I didn't think you wanted me!" He raises his voice to match her yelling.

"I didn't think you wanted me either, and you never tried after I left so I figured I was right." She sat down again, sinking into the couch.

"I always wanted you, Princess."

"You just wanted your job more."

xxx

 _"Fucking look at me, Bellamy!"_

 _"Christ! Calm down, Clarke, it's not a big deal!"_

 _"Yes! It is! The fact that you don't think it is, makes it so much worse!"_

 _"I had to work!"_

 _"You were working extra hours, you didn't have to do anything! You chose to!"_

 _"I don't have time for this."_

 _"You walk out that door you don't come back."_

 _"Clarke-"_

 _"I'm serious, Bellamy. It's me or Pike."_

 _He hesitated, giving her a tinge of hope. But in the end, he looked her in the eyes, said, "I'm sorry", walked out the door and went to work._

 _She trashed her apartment that day, earning herself a visit from the police on a call for a domestic disturbance._

 _It made the day so much worse to have to explain to the police officers that her boyfriend left her and caused her to trash everything she owned._

xxx

"I quit a week later." He tells her.

They stay quiet for a while.

"Finn thinks I'm going to cheat on him."

"He's an idiot."

"Is he?" She looked at him, making him look at her.

Bellamy clenches his jaw a few times and looks forward at the black screened tv.

"It's not like I haven't thought about it, okay? I've wanted you since I saw you in that bar, but..."

"What?" She pushes.

Bellamy wants to have a reason. Any reason better than 'it's not right', but he can't come up with one. He loves Clarke, Finn's not his friend, Clarke's not in love with Finn, she's already admitted she's bored in the relationship. He wants something just so he can stop thinking about it because...well, it's not right.

But then he looks at Clarke again and she's looking at him and it's all too much so he crashes his lips against hers. She responds eagerly, crawling onto his lap, straddling him. She brings her hands up to cups his face, trailing to the back of his neck to comb her fingers through his hair.

It's probably less than a minute but it feels like so much longer.

Clarke pulls back first.

"What?" He asks, slightly breathless.

"I can't do this." Bellamy's heart is crushed again, "No, no." She puts her hands back on both sides of his face, moving him to look at her. "I need to break up with him first, you know I do."

It's fair. They've both been cheated on before, they know how shitty it is.

"And after?" he hedges.

"Then we can try again."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She laughs.

xxx

Bellamy left as soon as he was sure he wasn't even remotely high anymore, leaving Clarke to pass out on Raven's couch.

Which, in turn, leaves Raven to wake Clarke up when she gets home.

"What the fuck are you doing on my couch?"

"I'm breaking up with Finn."

"I'm guessing this has something to do with Bellamy?"

"Yes and no." The blonde adjusted herself on and couch and began to recount all the problems she had with Finn, including the fact she hadn't meant for this to be a long-term thing. She wasn't ready for another one of those and even if she was Finn wouldn't be her choice for that.

Raven nods along, "All valid reasons, I guess."

"Really? You're not gonna get mad at me?"

"You don't want to date him, Clarke. I didn't either. I'm not going to be mad at you for being unhappy."

"Thanks, Rae. I love you, you know that?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm the best I know."

xxx

It's not the worst break up she's ever had. Neither of them can't say they weren't expecting it.

"It's not a huge surprise," Finn sighs when she tells him. "There was just a little part of me that hoped..." He trailed off, but she knew what he was going for.

A little part of him that hoped he could be it, that he could be better than Bellamy.

He sighed again, "I had fun, Clarke."

She hesitates, "We could still be friends? If you want."

He looks at her and laughs a bit, "You've never stayed friends with an ex, have you?"

She lets out a small chuckle too, "Nope. They're usually pretty messy break-ups."

He gets up, ready to leave.

"Maybe a little later, I need a little time, okay?"

"Okay. I'm sorry, Finn. You know this wasn't on you, right?"

"I know, Clarke. You love him, that's hard to beat."

She unintentionally smiles, thinking, _Yeah. I love him. And that's damn near impossible to beat._


End file.
